The Dallas Mavericks (19-34) are in a complete free fall as they stumble into Staples Center to take on the Los Angeles Lakers (32-21).
Mavericks vs. Lakers tips off at 10:00 p.m. ET on Thursday from Los Angeles, CA., live on Prime Video.
Below, we’ll break down our Mavericks vs. Lakers prediction and spread for PrizePicks. Use PrizePicks NBA to make picks on player projections and win real money if you’re right.
{{nba_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Mavericks vs. Lakers Prediction, Spread
Losers of eight-straight games and now without the services of presumptive Rookie of the Year F Cooper Flagg, it’s safe to say the Mavericks are now officially entering the tank-a-thon.
Flagg will be sidelined through the All-Star break and will miss the Rising Stars game, but is expected to be immediately available following the All-Star festivities. He was in the midst of playing the best basketball of his career, averaging 32 points per game across his last six outings.
It’ll be all hands on deck to replace his production with the ball handling work going to PG Tyus Jones and PG Brandon Williams, while the scoring will be manufactured by a combination of SF Naji Marshall (questionable), SF Max Christie, PF PJ Washington, and SG Khris Middleton.
The Lakers, meanwhile, are also limping into the All-Star Break but will be significantly healthier than their counterparts. PG Luka Doncic (hamstring) will remain out for this game, but they will welcome back SG Austin Reaves and SF LeBron James, who both missed their last game — a 28-point beatdown by the San Antonio Spurs.
The Lakers will need their trio of stars to be healthy if they want to compete for the Championship this year. “Yes” on them to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy this year is returning a 22.22x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks.
Mavericks vs. Lakers Over/Under, Spread
The Lakers enter Saturday’s game as 7.5-point home favorites, returning a 1.26x payout on PrizePicks Team Picks if they win outright.
The Mavericks are road underdogs with a 3.44x payout if they win, via PrizePicks Team Picks.
- Spread: Los Angeles Lakers -7.5 (1.78x payout)
- Over/Under: 235.5 (1.85x payout on over)
- Game Winner Payout: Mavericks 3.44x | Lakers 1.26x
Team Picks payouts are live as of publishing and are subject to change.
Mavericks vs. Lakers Injury Report
Let’s dive into the full Mavericks vs. Lakers injury report for Thursday, via NBA.com.
Mavericks Injury Report
- PG Cooper Flagg (Foot): OUT
- PG Kyrie Irving (Knee): OUT
- C Dereck Lively II (Foot): OUT
- SF Naji Marshall (Foot): Questionable
- SG Caleb Martin (Ankle): Questionable
Lakers Injury Report
- PG Luka Doncic (Hamstring): OUT
- C Deandre Ayton (Knee): Questionable
Mavericks vs. Lakers Prediction on Spread
Here are some stats to help you make your Mavericks vs. Lakers prediction on the spread today.
- The Lakers are 29-24-0 (54.7%) against-the-spread (ATS) this season, the 11th-best record in the league.
- The Mavericks are 23-30-0 (43.4%) ATS this season and have been especially bad on the road, where they are 7-15-0 (31.8%) ATS, the worst mark in the association.
- The Mavs' offense has been abysmal during their eight-game losing streak, ranking fifth-worst in offensive rating (109.3) over that span.
- The Lakers' primary advantage will come on the glass. They are restricting opponents to just 40.8 rebounds per game, the third-best mark in the league.
- The Mavericks have struggled rebounding all season, giving up 47.1 rebounds per game, the third-most in the NBA, according to NBA.com.
- Los Angeles is an impressive 11-5-0 (68.8%) ATS as a home favorite this year, the fifth-best record in the league.
Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA Player Picks, Stats for PrizePicks Today
Here are two of the top Mavericks vs. Lakers picks to consider for PrizePicks today. Player projections via the PrizePicks real-money NBA game.
Lakers SG Austin Reaves vs. Warriors Projection: 35.5 Pts+Reb+Asts
- Reaves typically has a usage rate of 28.7, without Luka Doncic on the court, that number skyrockets to 35.2, according to AddMoreFunds.
- AR-15 is averaging 37.6 PRA per game this season.
- Staples Center has been incredibly friendly to Reaves. He is shooting 12% better from the field at home and 8.5% better from deep.
- Across their eight-game losing streak, the Mavericks’ defense is giving up 30 assists per game, the second-most in the league.
Mavericks PF P.J. Washington vs. Lakers Projection – 21.5 Pts + Reb + Asts
- The Lakers have the eighth-worst defensive rating in the NBA at 116.8, at home this number drops to 118, the third-worst home defensive rating in the league.
- The Lakers' defense is allowing the sixth-most assists per game this season, at 27.6.
- Opponents are shooting 36.6% from 3-point land vs. the Lakers, the eighth-highest mark in the NBA.
- Washington is averaging 23 points, rebounds, and assists per game this season.
- With PF Anthony Davis (trade), PG Cooper Flagg (foot), and PG D’Angelo Russell (trade) off the court this season, Washington boasts the second-highest usage rate on the Mavericks at 23.6.
{{nba_offer_banner="/style-system/ui-components-playbook"}}
Make Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA Picks on PrizePicks
The Lakers will be looking to head into the All-Star Break with some momentum. While the Mavericks, although they would never admit it, probably wouldn’t mind extending their losing streak to nine games, given how loaded this upcoming draft class is. Mavericks vs. Lakers picks aren’t the only way hoops fans can get in on the daily 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 34 states.
Stick with the Playbook for the latest NBA predictions, picks, and news.
