The Los Angeles Lakers (26-16) and Dallas Mavericks (18-26) will face off in the NBA tonight. Tipoff is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas. The game will be broadcast live on ABC.
The Lakers are 4-point favorites over the Mavericks on the spread (Lakers -4), with the over/under set at 233.5 total points. Los Angeles is a -170 favorite to win outright on the moneyline, while Dallas is +145 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Lakers vs. Mavericks predictions and NBA picks for Saturday, January 24.
Lakers vs Mavericks Prediction, Picks
- Lakers vs Mavericks pick: Max Christie Over 14.5 Points (-110)
My Lakers vs Mavericks best bet is on Max Christie over 14.5 points, with the best price currently available at DraftKings, but make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NBA odds page.
Lakers vs Mavericks Odds
| Lakers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-4 -110 | 233.5 -110o / -110u | -170 |
| Mavericks Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+4 -110 | 233.5 -110o / -110u | +145 |
Lakers vs Mavericks NBA Preview
For just the second time, Luka Doncic will return to Dallas, where he played the first 6.5 seasons of his career. He is averaging 33 points, 9.3 rebounds, and 9.7 assists in three games against his former team, including scoring 45 points in his return to Dallas last season.
The Lakers have taken all three meetings against the Mavericks since the trade.
After consecutive wins over the Raptors and Nuggets, the Lakers dropped "The Battle of LA" 112-104 to the Clippers. The Lakers trailed by as many as 26 and cut the lead down to two in the fourth quarter, but ran out of gas in the fourth quarter.
It was largely a two-man effort once again as Doncic had 32 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists while LeBron James had 23 points, six rebounds, and five assists.
DeAndre Ayton had just four points and five rebounds in 21 minutes and was benched in the fourth quarter. The Lakers have dropped six of their last nine games. They will be without Austin Reaves once again with a right calf strain.
The Mavericks have been without Anthony Davis for the last two weeks and will be for the foreseeable future. However, that has not stopped them from winning four straight and five of their last six games.
They have scored 123 points or more in three of their last four games, including a 123-115 victory over the Warriors on Thursday night. The Mavericks have pulled to within 1.5 games of the 10th seed in the Western Conference.
Cooper Flagg left last Wednesday's loss to the Nuggets, but he returned and had 18 points and seven rebounds against the Knicks before scoring 21 points and 11 rebounds against the Warriors. However, the hot shooting of Max Christie has paced the offense of late.
Lakers vs Mavericks Predictions, Betting Analysis
Christie is averaging 18.3 points over his last 10 games. He has scored 20 points in five of those games and cleared this line in seven of them. He has connected for two 3s or more in nine of his last 10 games.
Tonight sets up a good matchup for him as the Lakers are 19th in 3s allowed and 26th in 3-point percentage defense.
Christie may have a bit of motivation tonight, facing his former team and being seen by many as a throw-in in the Doncic trade.
However, I like him to score at least 15 points against his former team tonight. He is also +295 for 20 points on DraftKings.
Doncic has scored 45 and 35 points in his last two games against the Mavericks.
He also has scored 30 points in seven of his last 10 games and averages 33.4 points per game this season.
Flagg averages 6.4 rebounds per game, and he has pulled down six or more in seven of the last nine games that he finished.
He had seven rebounds in the first meeting.
Lastly, Ayton has scored just eight in his last two games. He has had 12 points or fewer and eight rebounds or fewer in three of his last four games.
If his minutes continue to dwindle, it will be hard for him to clear 21 PR tonight.
Lakers vs Mavericks Best Bet
- Max Christie Over 14.5 Points (-110, DraftKings)
Lakers vs Mavericks Parlay Picks
- Luka Doncic 30+ Points
- Max Christie Over 14.5 Points
- Cooper Flagg Over 5.5 Rebounds
- DeAndre Ayton Under 20.5 Points + Rebounds
Parlay Odds: +700 via DraftKings
Mavericks vs Lakers Betting Trends
