The Dallas Mavericks just beat a 50-loss team, while the Los Angeles Lakers most recently lost to one. In this battle of two squads inside the Play-in tournament picture in the West, which side will get away with a much-needed win this Saturday?
Catch this game live on Saturday, March 18, at 10:30 AM, Manila time
Away: Dallas Mavericks (35-35/13-21 Away)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: Jaden Hardy
- SG: Kyrie Irving (questionable)
- SF: Tim Hardaway (questionable)
- PF: Reggie Bullock
- C: Dwight Powell
The Mavs stopped the bleeding – and avoided a major embarrassment – last Thursday by outlasting the San Antonio Spurs in a 137-128 overtime win on the road. Before that, the Mavs lost three games in a row, including twice to the Ja Morant-less Memphis Grizzlies. The absences of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving have only compounded the headaches of Dallas, but at least the win over the tanking Spurs has righted the ship a bit for the Mavs.
Dallas backers can also draw confidence from the fact that the Mavs have rarely missed covering the spread over the past few years when up against the Lakers. Dating back to January 2020, the Mavs are 7-3 ATS versus the Purple & Gold. Even if the Mavs end up missing both Doncic and Irving, bettors shouldn’t underestimate the Lakers’ ability to fail in winnable games. Take note that the Lakers are just 5-5 SU and 4-6 ATS in their last 10 games as a favorite.
Home: Los Angeles Lakers (34-36/22-14 Home)
Projected Starting Five:
- PG: D’Angelo Russell
- SG: Malik Beasley
- SF: Troy Brown Jr.
- PF: Jarred Vanderbilt
- C: Anthony Davis
The Lakers paid the price for sitting out a pain-free Anthony Davis for the sake of load management last Thursday, as they lost to a lottery-bound Houston Rockets team on the road, 114-110. Davis, who usually rests in the second legs of back-to-back sets, should be good to go this Saturday versus the Mavs.
The last time the Mavs and Lakers met, AD blew up for 30 points with 15 rebounds and three blocks in a 111-108 road win back in late February. D’Angelo Russell missed that game but he should also be 100% available for this upcoming contest. Russell has been a gift that keeps on giving for the Lakers, as he has been stepping up big time in the absence of LeBron James. Russell has averaged Russell 24.0 points and shot 43.6% from behind the arc over his last four games. The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their seven most recent outings as the home team.
PREDICTIONS:
Spread: The Mavs (+5) cover the spread.
Over/Under: The total (225.5) hits the Under.
