Lakers vs Mavericks: Full preview, odds and best bets

The eyes of the sports world will be on crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on Wednesday night, where the Los Angeles Lakers (20-21) will host the Dallas Mavericks (24-17). When betting on the NBA, it is advisable to get the most up-to-date injury information. At present, it is unclear whether superstars Luka Doncic (ankle) and LeBron James (ankle) will play in this one. Both are likely game-time decisions.

The Mavericks will hit the road after a seven-game homestand, and they will take on a Lakers squad that has been significantly better at home. The Mavericks have won the first two games of this season series. Before we preview this game, a quick reminder that we have reviewed thetop sportsbooksin Michigan, where you can see for yourself what the advantages and disadvantages are of each betting site.

Doncic has missed the past three games with a sprained right ankle, and the Mavericks have won two of those. Kyrie Irving has averaged just under 40 points in those three games, including 42 in Sunday’s defeat of the Pelicans.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has also stepped up in Doncic’s absence, stepping into the starting lineup and going for 41 points. It was just the second time Mavericks teammates have scored 40 points in the same game, with the other time coming last season (Doncic and Irving). Even if Doncic does play, Dallas needs its role players to step up to keep pace with a touch Lakers squad.

Los Angeles has used 11 different starting lineups this season. In the game on Monday which marked the halfway point of the regular season, coach Darvin Ham went back to the lineup he used to open the season, with James, Anthony Davis, Austin Reaves, D’Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince representing the starting five.

Ham liked what he saw in Monday’s win over the Thunder, and said he plans to stick with this lineup, barring injury. As with the Mavericks, the Lakers need contributions from the role players outside of James and Davis to build a win streak during this homestand.

Playing the under when these two match up has been a profitable endeavor, as the under has hit in four of their past five matchups. The under is 15-24-2 at crypto.com Arena this season, and it’s a court where the Mavs’ past seven games played have failed to hit the over. It is difficult to diagnose exactly what it is, but something about downtown Los Angeles seems to make scoring hard to come by. With stars on both sides battling ailments, the under is the play here.

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James has failed to exceed this total in any of his past four games. Even if you take out the Phoenix game where he was limited to 24 minutes, James has struggled to reach this number. Assuming he plays, he will likely still be hobbled by his ankle injury and, because we expect fewer points to be scored, it will be tough for LeBron to reach these stat totals.

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