Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Picks, Predictions, Odds

Regular season NBA action resumes on Sunday afternoon with a compelling Western Conference showdown between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. Coverage begins from the American Airlines Center in Dallas at 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC.

The Mavericks are 5-0 ATS in their last five home matchups against the Lakers. (Getty)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING PREDICTION

Over the last week or so, there’s been a bunch of discussion and debate regarding how high up on the Western Conference totem pole the Lakers can climb prior to the start of the playoffs. However, don’t be fooled by LeBron James and co. winning three-of-four games heading into this one. At best, this L. A.’ squad is a Play-In Tournament team, and quite frankly, they’d be lucky to make it that far.

The Lakers rank 24th in the league in net rating (-0.9 NetRtg), and own a record of 3-4 in their last seven games. So, forgive me for not being overly eager to hop on the Lakers’ bandwagon following a pair of wins over Golden State in the absence of Steph Curry, and a victory over New Orleans in the absence of Zion Williamson.

While on the other hand, there’s no denying the fact that Dallas has struggled since the acquisition of Kyrie Irving. The Mavericks enter Sunday following losses in three of their last four games, and their only win since the trade came against a pitiful Spurs’ squad this past Thursday (W, 142-116).

This contest isn’t a case of two evenly matched teams trending in opposite directions, though. In this instance, we have a good team facing a bad team, for lack of a better term, with the good team being the Mavs, and the bad one being the Lakers. So, instead, I’d propose that this is another get-right spot for Dallas.

The Mavericks’ overall scoring numbers don’t exactly jump off the statsheet. Dallas ranks just 19th in points scored and 11th in points allowed (113.5 PPG, 112.6 OPPG). However, for the most part, you can disregard their scoring totals, the strong suit of this Mavs’ squad is actually offense, considering they currently rank 6th in offensive rating and 22nd in defensive rating (116.8 ORtg, 115.9 DRtg).

Last year, when healthy, Dallas was anchored by dominant defensive play. So, it comes as no surprise that this Mavericks’ team is accustomed to slowing things down and leaning on their defense, highlighted by Luka Doncic and co. continuing to run at the second-slowest pace in the entire league this season (95.8 PACE). 

Occasionally, however, Dallas has leaned into a much faster pace, and when everything is clicking for this team, it’s a stunning sight to see. The Mavs have scored 120+ points in five of their last seven contests, resulting in comfortable wins in four of those affairs, and that type of trend bodes well heading into a matchup against a Lakers’ squad that ranks 2nd in the league in pace (101.8 PACE).

Score Prediction: Mavericks 122, Lakers 110
Best Bet: Mavericks -4 (-110)

LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING ODDS

LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING RESOURCES

Date: Sunday, February 26, 2023
Venue: American Airlines Center
Location: Dallas, Texas
TV-Time: ABC, 3:30 p.m. ET
Matchup
Expert Picks

NBA Finals Betting Odds

LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING STATS

Los Angeles Lakers
SU: 28-32
ATS: 28-31-1
O/U: 31-29
PPG: 117
OPPG: 118

Dallas Mavericks
SU: 32-29
ATS: 24-37
O/U: 34-27
PPG: 113.5
OPPG: 112.6

Straight Up (SU), Against the Spread (ATS), Over-Under (O/U)
Points Per Game (PPG), Opponents Points Per Game (OPPG)

The Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last six road games. (Getty)
Updated on 03/28/2024
Bonus Code VIBONUS1600 Claim Now

LOS ANGELES LAKERS vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS BETTING TRENDS

  • The total has gone UNDER in four of the Lakers' last five games.
  • The Lakers are 0-7 ATS in their last seven games against Dallas.
  • The total has gone OVER in four of Dallas' last five games.
  • The total has gone UNDER in four of Dallas' last six matchups against the Lakers.
  • The Mavs are 1-4-1 ATS in their last six home games.
  • The Lakers are 1-6 SU in their last seven matchups against Dallas.
  • The Lakers are 2-4 ATS in their last six road games.
  • The Lakers are 0-5 ATS in their last five road games against Dallas.