Tonight LeBron and the Lakers will head to Texas to take on Luka and the Mavericks. This game makes for an interesting matchup because both squads have a star duo and have started the season off strong. They will also play 4 games this season, so thereโs bound to be some back and forth between them. Can Los Angeles keep their win streak going, or will Dallas stop them in their tracks?
Los Angeles Lakers (3-1) @ Dallas Mavericks (3-1)
Current Odds from DraftKings: Lakers -1 Total: 216
Los Angeles Lakers
After losing their season opener, the Lakers have shown that they are a good team thanks to incredible defensive play. The biggest gripe about LeBronโs first season with LA was his extremely disinterested approach to defense, but that doesnโt seem to be any issue this season. Instead, the Lakers have been lacking offensive firepower outside of their star duo. With Kuzma returning to the team, they now have three excellent scorers to make this Laker squad much tougher to deal with.
- Talented youngster Kyle Kuzma will make his season debut tonight. Rajon Rondo will miss another game with his calf injury.
- After dropping their season opener to the Clippers, the Lakers have responded well by winning their last 3 games by an average margin of 19
- Tonight will be a good test playing on the road considering that they currently have an 0-1 record in away games.
- LAโs offense continues to run through Anthony Davis and LeBron James as the two are combining to average 1 points and 12.5 assists.
- AD in particular is coming off an excellent performance against Memphis, where he finished with 40 points and 20 rebounds, going 26-27 (96.3%) from the free throw line.
- Defense has definitely been the strong point for Los Angeles. They are top 5 in the league for both lowest opponent scoring and field goal percentage. They allow just 5 points per game on 40.7% shooting.
- One point of concern is that both AD and LBJ are not shooting the ball very well as both currently have a field goal percentage below 50%, which is very uncommon for the pair.
- The Lakers have covered the point spread in their last 3 games and are 3-1 overall on the season.
Dallas Mavericks
One of the most pleasant surprises to the season has been how well the Mavericks have played. Kristaps Porzingis hadnโt played since February of 2018, but it is clear he is still an excellent scorer and pairs very well with the rising superstar, Luka Doncic. Considering how young they both are, you might have thought they would be a force in a few years, but Luka is the real deal already at just 20 years old and KP is a nice sidekick at 24. They definitely can hang with any team in the league, but can they compete with a new and improved Laker squad tonight?
- After losing a close game to Portland, the Mavericks quickly answered with a tough victory over Denver in their last game, showing that they have the mettle to compete with playoff squads.
- Dallas is currently 1-1 in games played at home.
- Similar to LA, much of the offense for the Mavs runs through their two stars. Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis are combining for 3 points and 10.1 assists.
- Despite that, the duo combined for just 22 points in their win against Denver. Instead, 9 of their 10 players scored in double digits to make for a spread out offensive approach.
- Two things that Dallas excel at are getting to the free throw line and limiting turnovers. They are 3rd in the league for free throw attempts at 31 per game and the 5th best team for lowest turnovers at just 3 per game.
- One big spot of concern is their 3-point shooting. They are 4th in the league for 3-point attempts at 8 per game, but make only 12.8 of them to place them 24th for 3-point percentage at 31.3%.
- The Mavericks did cover the point spread last game, but are dead even on the season at 2-2.
Pick: Los Angeles Lakers -1.5
As exciting as Dallas has been to start the season, the Lakers are rolling right now. With Kyle Kuzma joining the fray, the Lakers now have 3 legitimate scoring threats every single night. This takes pressure off of LeBron and Davis, who can now focus more on the defensive end. The most likely outcome tonight is that LA plays great defense and limits opportunities for both of Dallasโ stars, which will ultimately hurt their chances here tonight. This is why your best bet tonight is laying the points and picking the Los Angeles Lakers to win.