The Los Angeles Lakers (15-13) and Dallas Mavericks (14-13) square off in Texas at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 P.M. EST.
The Lakers and Mavericks have had a similar season and a common storyline so far during the 2021-2022 campaign. Both teams entered the season looking to win the West, and both teams stumbled out of the gain and have been stuck in mediocrity for the majority of the year.
The Lakers are 6-4 over the course of their past ten games and took care of business against subpar teams in their past two games with victories against OKC and the Magic. Slowly, Los Angeles is finally trending in a positive direction.
Dallas is just 4-6 in their past ten contests. However, they have won back-to-back games, including a quality victory against the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
These squads enter Wednesday separated by just one half game in the Western Conference standings.
Lakers at Mavericks Stats
Looking at the Los Angeles Lakers stats
The Lakers are beginning to play a better brand of basketball over the past couple of weeks. They are sixth in the Western Conference standings, and a win against Dallas would establish a solid three-game winning streak.
LeBron James has turned on the jets as of late. He posted a triple-double against the Magic with a 30/11/10 stat line. James has played great during the past ten games or so, which is in direct correlation to the Lakers winning ways during that time period.
However, not all is good in LA.
Talen Horton-Tucker tested positive for covid-19, and the Lakers had a canceled practice as a result. Horton-Tucker will be out for Wednesday’s game and is expected to miss a few more contests as well.
Anthony Davis is also questionable with a knee injury. Not having AD could lead to a big game for Mav’s star Kristaps Porzingis.
The Lakers will need all hands on deck behind LeBron James if they want to emerge victorious on the road in Dallas.
Looking at the Dallas Mavericks stats
The Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic for the third straight game due to an ankle injury that has been hampering Doncic for multiple weeks now. You never wish for another player to have an injury, but the Mavs certainly would not mind seeing Anthony Davis miss at least one more game with Luka being ruled out on their end.
Kristaps Porzingis will need to continue playing well if the Mavericks want to beat the Lakers and overtake them in the standings. He was dominant in Monday’s win over Charlotte with 24 points, 13 boards, three three-pointers, and a jaw-dropping five blocks. If Davis is active, it will be an extremely intriguing matchup between KP and AD in the post.
Similar to the Lakers, the Mavs will need a complete team effort behind Porzingis with Doncic inactive.
Betting Trends for Los Angeles Lakers at Dallas Mavericks
- The Lakers rank fourth in points per game, while Dallas ranks just 26th in points per contest.
- The Lakers are 11-17 ATS so far this season.
- The Mavericks are 12-15 ATS so far this year.
- Dallas is 8-6 ATS when favored by 2.5 points or more in 2021.
- The Lakers are 4-9 SU while playing the role of underdog in 2021.
Who to Bet Lakers at Mavericks
This game is going to be a good one. Different sportsbooks have different predictions, and there does not seem to be a clear favorite in this matchup.
The health of Anthony Davis will be a key factor in deciding the outcome of this game.
Typically, playing without a star such as Luka Doncic would be a death sentence for many teams. But Porzingis displayed the ability to carry Dallas even without Doncic. He will be asked to carry the load once again in Wednesday night’s affair.
Before locking in your picks, be sure to check the status of Anthony Davis. For now, I feel confident locking in the Mavericks to earn the victory at home.
Take the Mavericks -1.5.
If you love sports betting subscribe to our Insiders Betting Digest mailing list and receive free betting picks weekly.