Dallas Mavericks Travel to Los Angeles to Face the Lakers

The Dallas Mavericks are going to rely on their stout defense to take down the Lakers. Their offense hasn’t been incredible, but they still have notched 35 wins this season.

As one of the best teams in the Western Conference, the Mavericks intend to hold their ground. In the event that LeBron James is ruled out, the Mavericks’ chances of winning will increase dramatically.

The Los Angeles Lakers are trying as hard as they can to move up in the Western Conference. Although there still continues to be discourse among the team, they recently defeated the Jazz.

As long as they can focus on the task in front of them, the Lakers can be a really good team. They’ll get to test their focus as they take on the Mavericks, potentially without LeBron James.

Game Preview: Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers March 1st

The Dallas Mavericks rank as one of the worst offenses in the NBA, currently 24th. When they take on the Lakers, they’ll need to find a good balance of offense and defense.

The good news for them is that the Lakers’ defense is among the worst in the NBA. This means that Luka Doncic and the Mavericks can exploit these weaknesses, especially if LeBron James is out.

To be fair, all isn’t lost for the Lakers if James is unable to suit up. They can still rely on their core group, including Russell Westbrook and Anthony Davis. These two players are starting to work better together, which will only help the Lakers.

Westbrook is a strong defender as well and can give Doncic a headache. Expect this one to be a close, hard-fought game for Los Angeles.

Dallas Mavericks at Los Angeles Lakers Betting Prediction

Betting on this game isn’t an easy thing to do when you consider the strengths of these teams.

On the one hand, you have the Mavericks, who have one of the best defenses in the NBA, but lack offense. On the other, you have the Los Angeles Lakers, a great offense but a truly lackluster defense. So, we’ll have to use the history of these two teams and the spread to make our pick.

Over the last ten games between these two, the Lakers are 7-3 against the Mavericks. In those ten games, the Lakers covered the spread six times.

However, the last time they faced the Lakers were -3.5 and won 107-104, but didn’t cover the spread. There’s one big problem, though, the Mavericks had Kristaps Porzingis in that game, and now they’re without him. 

Taking that into consideration, we think the Lakers and Anthony Davis will win this one. Not only will they win, but they’ll also cover the spread as well. Los Angeles is 18-13 when playing at home this season.

Sure, they haven’t been incredible against the spread, but they have the better offense. Without Porzingis, the Mavericks won’t have an answer for Anthony Davis on Tuesday.

* All odds provided by Action247 Sportsbook and all odds subject to change.
**All views expressed are my own. My picks are my own and are not a guarantee, bet at your own risk.