Mavericks vs Lakers Odds, Picks, and Predictions Tonight: Injury-Riddled Mavs Can't Keep Up

The Dallas Mavericks have done well to stay afloat in the wake of Luka Doncic’s injury, taking two of their last three over some top defenses, but the test won’t get any easier with a hungry Los Angeles Lakers team waiting on the other side of the floor tonight.

With the injury report muddy on both sides, is there any value to be found in the NBA odds with the home team?

Let's get right into it with our in-depth preview and NBA picks for Mavericks vs. Lakers on Wednesday, January, 17.

Mavericks vs Lakers odds

Mavericks vs Lakers predictions

The Los Angeles Lakers have been an incredibly reliable team at home, going 14-7 in their 21 games at crypto-com Arena, but when they’ve laid points, they’ve covered in just 40% of their home games. Despite this trend, I’m looking at L.A. to pick up a big win here to right the ship after six losses in their last nine.

Luka Doncic’s status for this game is very much in question. The star guard has missed three straight games with an ankle sprain after he was in and out of the lineup, indicating Dallas is attempting to take it easy with its franchise cornerstone. The team certainly won’t rush him back into action, and the scales will be tilted even further in L.A.’s direction should he miss this one.

The Dallas Mavericks are already without Dante Exum, who had been contributing in big ways to this team’s outside shooting, and that is bad news when you consider only one team in the NBA takes 3-pointers more frequently.

In theory, this should be a spot where the Mavericks dominate from outside when you factor in their favorable home/road splits and L.A.’s mediocre 3-point defense. Dallas’ production from outside has dipped slightly over the last 10 games, though, and this team packs a weaker punch from outside without a healthy Exum. On top of that, this team will be searching for answers on offense should Doncic miss a fourth straight game.

The Lakers take virtually all of their shots at the rim, and the Mavericks are the second-worst team at defending within four feet in the NBA. This is a poor matchup for the Mavs defensively, which will make potential absences on offense hurt even worse.

My best bet: Lakers -3.5 (-110 at FanDuel)

Mavericks vs Lakers same-game parlay

Lakers -3.5

Anthony Davis Over 27.5 points

LeBron James 8+ rebounds

+462 at FanDuel

At this point, there is no debating that Anthony Davis is the focal point of the Lakers’ offense. He’s been relied upon to do the heavy lifting for a team that has opted to take shots from within four feet of the rim at the second-highest frequency in the NBA, and he’s responded with some massive games over the last month and change.

Davis may be in a bit of a rut offensively, but this directly coincides with the Lakers playing some strong interior defenses over the past six games in which Davis has been in the lineup. Against one of the worst paint defenses in the league, we should have a great chance to buy low.

Davis may have had a stunningly poor performance against the Mavericks back in November, but he has been a much more reliable scorer since the calendar turned to December. In his most recent meeting against Dallas, which was back on December 12th, he successfully capitalized on the mismatch down low for 37 points.

Leading the way with strong plays on the Lakers and Davis, I’ll cap the parlay off with LeBron James to record eight boards — something he’s done in both meetings with the Mavericks this year. The Mavericks are one of the three worst rebounding teams in basketball, and with strong defensive play from L.A. against a weakened offense James should be very active on the glass.

Learn how to bet a same-game parlay with these helpful tips and strategies.

Mavericks vs Lakers spread and Over/Under analysis

The Mavericks may be Top 10 in pace throughout the season, but they’ve changed their ways a bit over the last 10 games, ranking 15th. With some question marks on offense and a thorough Lakers defense on the other side of the floor, my lean in this game would be toward the Under.

Dallas has been an Over-cashing machine this season, but as a road underdog, it is just 4-4 to the Over, something that’s somewhat surprising given its favorable shooting numbers away from home. On top of that, the Under is 13-7 in all Lakers home games, which have featured plenty of shaky play on offense combined with hard-nosed defense.

With all of this being said, a stunning 84% of the money wagered on the total at DraftKings has come in on the Over despite 61% of the tickets coming in on the Under. There’s little sharp action to be found on the spread, but it seems some big bettors are loving the Over here.

Mavericks vs Lakers betting trend to know

The Los Angeles Lakers have hit the 4Q Moneyline in 57 of their last 97 games (+16.10 Units / 14% ROI). Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Lakers.

Mavericks vs Lakers game info

Mavericks vs Lakers latest injuries

*

Stay updated with the latest picks, odds, and news! Tap the to add us to your favorites on Google News to never miss a story.

Pages related to this topic