The Saturday NBA slate features a trio of intraconference matchups on ABC, capped off by the 26-17 Los Angeles Lakers facing the 19-26 Dallas Mavericks at 8:30 p.m. ET.
With Los Angeles hanging right in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race and Dallas clawing its way near play-in territory, Saturday’s game carries plenty of weight for both sides.
Below, we’ll break down our Lakers vs. Mavericks prediction and picks for Saturday night’s game. Make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money if you’re right, including on game winners, spreads, and totals!
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Lakers vs. Mavericks Prediction, Spread, Over/Under
Last season was a huge one for the Lakers, even with their first-round playoff embarrassment at the hands of the Minnesota Timberwolves. Los Angeles acquired all-world PG Luka Doncic via midseason trade, finishing the year 50-32. Now, they’re on a 50-win pace again with a full year of Doncic at the helm.
Of course, the Mavericks were the organization that shocked the world by swapping Doncic for C Anthony Davis. They finished last season 39-43, only to kick off this year 19-26. With that said, Dallas is 7-3 in its last 10 and is playing inspired basketball behind rookie F Cooper Flagg.
Saturday marks the 179th all-time regular-season clash between the Lakers and Mavericks. Los Angeles holds a commanding 120-58 series lead, including three straight victories.
Lakers vs. Mavericks Over/Under, Spread
The Lakers enter Saturday’s game as 3.5-point road favorites, returning a 1.56x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Mavericks are home underdogs with a 2.27x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -3.5
- Over/Under: 233.5
- Game Winner Payout: Lakers 1.56x | Mavericks 2.27x
Team Picks data is live at the time of writing and is subject to change.
Lakers vs. Mavericks Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Lakers vs. Mavericks injury report for Saturday, January 24, via NBA.com.
Lakers Injury Report
- SG Austin Reaves (calf): OUT
- F Adou Thiero (knee): OUT
Mavericks Injury Report
- C Anthony Davis (finger): OUT
- C Daniel Gafford (ankle): Probable
Lakers vs. Mavericks Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to know to help you make your Lakers vs. Mavericks prediction on Saturday, January 24.
- In 11 opportunities as road favorites this season, the Lakers are 6-5 against the spread. The Mavericks are an impressive 11-3 ATS as home underdogs.
- Los Angeles’ offense is middling as of late, sitting 17th in scoring on the year (116.0 PPG) and second-to-last in per-game field goal attempts (83.8).
- L.A.’s defense cedes the fourth-highest 2-point percentage (56.9) and the sixth-highest 3-point clip (37.2).
- The Mavericks have slowly, but surely, improved on offense. They love to run the court, as evidenced by their No. 2 ranking in fastbreak (19.0 PPG) and paint (53.4 PPG) scoring.
- On the other end, Dallas’ opponents produce just a 52.5 effective field goal percentage against them, the third-lowest mark in basketball.
Lakers vs. Mavericks Picks for PrizePicks Today: Saturday, January 24
Here are three top Lakers vs. Mavericks picks to target for Saturday, January 24 on PrizePicks. Player stat projections via PrizePicks are headlined by PG Luka Doncic, F LeBron James and F Cooper Flagg.
Lakers PG Luka Doncic vs. Mavericks Projection: 33.5 Points
- Doncic averages a league-leading 33.4 points per game, also pacing the sport in field goal attempts (22.6) and free throw tries (11.4) every night.
- The eighth-year guard boasts a 60.5 true shooting percentage, only his third time above 60%.
- Despite playing with Reaves or James for stretches, Doncic’s 38.1% usage rate is tops in the Association and also a career-high.
- A key to Doncic’s scoring dominance is his efficiency near the rim. On shots from 0-3 feet, he’s converting a video game-like 84.2% of the time.
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Lakers F LeBron James vs. Mavericks Projection: 35.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- In 26 games played, James pours in 35.4 combined points, rebounds, and assists per night. In his last 20, however, that average is up to 38.3.
- James has posted 53/35/77 (field goal, 3-point, and free throw percentage) splits in the latter stretch, even better than his career line of 51/35/74.
- Among all players shorter than 6-foot-10 who average 30+ minutes a night, the King’s 64.9% rebound chance clip is fourth.
- Per databallr, James’ 16.9 potential assists per 100 put him in the 96th percentile.
Mavericks F Cooper Flagg vs. Lakers Projection: 29.5 Pts + Rebs + Asts
- Forty-two games into his debut campaign, Flagg averages 29.3 points, rebounds, and assists. Since December 1, that figure is 31.7.
- In his first 21 games as a Maverick, Flagg’s true shooting percentage was 54.1. In his last 21, that figure was 56.6%.
- The No. 1 overall pick has a 13.9% defensive rebounding rate, an elite mark for his position.
- Via NBARAPM, Flagg provides 9.7 potential assists per 100 and 13.9 assist points per 100.
Make Lakers vs. Mavericks Picks on PrizePicks
Lakers vs. Mavericks picks aren’t the only avenue hoops fans have to getting in on this weekend’s NBA action.
You can make your picks on PrizePicks and PrizePicks Team Picks and earn real money. Just pick players, predict More or Less on their projected stats, and cash in if you’re correct. With Team Picks, make predictions on winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 30 states.
Stick around with the Playbook for continued NBA predictions, picks, and news.
