Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA Player Props, Odds: Picks & Predictions for Wednesday
Some of the NBA's biggest stars will take center stage on Wednesday, and our Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA player props based on the best NBA odds expect some role players to produce early and often ahead of this Western Conference showdown.
The Los Angeles Lakers (20-21) have struggled since winning the NBA's In-Season Tournament, falling below .500 while holding the No. 10 seed in the Play-In Tournament. They're hoping to get back on track Wednesday against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (24-17).
The Mavericks have navigated injury issues en route to the fifth seed in the West. The Lakers finally got their full starting lineup back this week and scored a 112-105 win over the surging Oklahoma City Thunder. Can they build on that with a win on Wednesday?
To go along with our Bucks vs. Cavaliers NBA player props and our NBA Best Bets, here are our best Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA player props and NBA picks (odds via ourbest NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA player props
Christian Wood Over 7.5 points (-104 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐⭐
The Lakers switched to their new (old) lineup of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis against the Thunder. The motivation behind this move was to improve the results on the offensive end, as the Lakers rank 22nd in adjusted offensive efficiency midway through the regular season.
Another way to improve the offense is by giving more minutes to Christian Wood off the bench, something head coach Darvin Ham has opted to do this month. Wood is averaging 12.2 points in 19.5 minutes per game in January, clearing this mark in all six outings thus far.
This will be Wood's second chance at facing his former team, as he took just one shot in 15 minutes during the first revenge meeting on Nov. 22. Wood is averaging eight field goal attempts per contest this month, and should be much more aggressive this time around.
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Christian Wood to score 10-plus points (+210 via FanDuel) ⭐⭐⭐
FanDuel is the only shop to offer props for Wood, which means it's the only place for an alternate line. In this case, we see enough value on both props to make two bets on the same player ahead of Wednesday's showdown.
NumberFire projects 10.9 points for Wood, showing as much faith in his recent form as we do. Wood has scored in double figures in five of his last six games, with the lone exception being a nine-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers.
There are multiple avenues to Wood getting more of an opportunity on Wednesday. The Lakers could opt to play more two-big lineups with him and Davis, overwhelming a rookie-led frontcourt. There is also a chance the Mavericks win by a comfortable margin, giving Wood some extra minutes in the fourth quarter.
Either way, we like playing this +210 wager on Wood to reach double figures against a Dallas defense that ranks 25th in adjusted efficiency.
Taurean Prince Over 2.5 first-quarter points (-119 via Caesars) ⭐⭐⭐
When we cashed our Joel Embiid first-quarter assists prop in Tuesday's best bets, I mentioned the importance of understanding rotation patterns. Jared Dubin wrote about when the NBA's stars play in this Substack post just a week ago, which is recommended reading for pregame and in-game prop bettors.
But understanding when role players are on the floor can be just as important. Amid all the lineup changes for the Lakers, wing Taurean Prince has been the one constant outside of Davis and James. Ham wants Prince to be on the floor to start the game, which explains why he is second on the team in first-quarter minutes at 8.6.
While Prince is averaging a modest 2.8 first-quarter points per contest, he has cleared this low mark in 56% of his games this season and four of his previous five outings. Against Dallas, Prince has scored nine total first-quarter points across two meetings.
We just need one triple for a player with a full-game line of 2.5 3-pointers. At -119, I'm willing to pay that price for the early sweat. Don't play anything worse than -120 for this wager.
Mavericks-Lakers NBA player props made Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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