The superstars will be out in full force Sunday afternoon as LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (28-32) take on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks (32-29). The Mavericks will host this one at the American Airlines Center, with tipoff scheduled for 3:30 pm ET.
The Mavericks are the favorite in this one playing at home. They are -166 to win, while the Lakers’ moneyline sits at +138. The spread features Los Angeles as 4-point underdogs (-110).
Lakers Hope To Push Win Streak To Three
As they fight to move into playoff contention, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to push their current winning streak to three games Sunday afternoon. They will have to play better on the road, though, as they are just 13-18 as the visiting team.
Luckily, both of the Lakers’ superstars should be available for this one as LeBron James (foot) and Anthony Davis (foot) are probable Sunday. Newly acquired D’Angelo Russell is currently listed as doubtful with an ankle injury.
James has led the Lakers’ to having the sixth-best offense, averaging 117.1 points per game. In 46 games, he is averaging 29.6 points, 8.4 rebounds, and seven assists per game.
For Davis, he is averaging 25.6 points, 12.3 rebounds, and two blocks per game in 36 games.
On the defensive end, the Lakers have struggled a bit more. They rank 24th overall, allowing opponents an average of 118.1 points per game (120.6 on the road).
Mavericks Trying To Climb Up Western Standings
At 32-29, the Mavericks sit 10.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets for first in the West. Still, only a single game separates them from fourth place in the conference. With the regular season winding down, the Mavericks know every game is crucial at this point.
In the conference, the Mavericks have gone 24-16 to date. At home, they are a solid 20-10, and they have won six of their last 10.
Even after acquiring Kyrie Irving at the deadline, the offense still revolves around Luka Doncic. He is averaging 33.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 8.2 assists per game.
Since being acquired, Irving has averaged 27.2 points, four rebounds, 6.8 assists, and 1.2 steals in five games with Dallas.
As a unit, the Mavericks rank 19th in the league in scoring, averaging 113.5 points per game. On defense, they rank 11th overall, allowing opponents an average of 112.6 points per game.
Take The Lakers And The Points
Looking at the trends, the Lakers are just 0-7 against the spread in their last seven games and just 2-4 against the spread in their last six on the road. In their last eight games played on a Sunday, they are 6-2.
For Dallas, they are 5-0 against the spread in their last five games against the Lakers, but they are just 1-4-1 against the spread in their last six home games.
With LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Luka Doncic, and Kyrie Irving on the floor Sunday, this game should be a lot of fun and could be playoff-caliber level basketball. In a game that could go either way, expect this one to stay close down to the wire.
With that in mind, take the points. In this case, that means taking the Lakers +4 (-110).
