Lakers vs Mavericks

The full injury report reflects some of this progress: LeBron James (left ankle soreness) and Troy Brown, Jr. (left quad strain) - Probable; Patrick Beverley ( ...

Offensively, the Lakers can look to take advantage of these absences by attacking the rim with their multiple rim-seeking players and then going to the offensive glass with their own bigs to force Dallas to close out possessions with a defensive rebound. Interestingly, not a single Western Conference team has a winning record on the road (Memphis, Denver, and Sacramento are all .500 but none are better), a trend the Lakers will do their best to keep going. For the Lakers, playing to their identity by hunting transition opportunities and trying to turn ball pressure and swarming defense into turnovers can be an important part of their success. Tonight's game against Dallas begins a stretch of five consecutive games at home for a Lakers team that hasn't seen much time there this season. LeBron's return after a one game absence gets top billing and is the most important step towards the team getting back to their winning ways. He'd also been a key contributor on the backboards, grabbing 4.5 rebounds, helping the team defend and finish possessions while playing smaller lineups.

LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers look to get back in the win column when they host Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks.

Lastly, the Lakers need Dennis Schroder to continue his aggressive play and hot shooting. The Lakers will also need someone to step up in place of Patrick Beverley, who is be out due to a non-COVID illness. Dallas outscored the Lakers 51-to-21 in the third quarter, completely flipping the contest and leading to an easy win for the Mavericks. It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more! This is why Thomas Bryant will be key for the Lakers as well. Now back home, they look to start up another streak and get some revenge for what happened on Christmas Day against the Dallas Mavericks.

Andrew O'Connor-Watts previews Thursday's game between the Mavericks and Lakers, including betting odds and a prediction.

If James and Russell Westbrook play, my model has the Lakers heavily favored in the first half. The Lakers took just 34.1% of their shots at the rim in that game, down from their regular season Rim Rate of 39.1% (first in the league). Since Finney-Smith’s injury, the Mavericks first-half road Defensive Rating is third-worst in the league (127.3) per NBA Advanced Stats. The content on this page is for informational purposes only. We may be compensated for the links provided on this page. The Lakers lost to Dallas 115-124 on Christmas Day after a 51-point quarter propelled the Mavericks out of a 54-43 halftime deficit. LeBron James didn’t play in Denver — the Lakers third game in four nights — after playing both sets of a back-to-back prior. Los Angles led by nine points at halftime in the Christmas Day meeting — something its been doing all season. Before his injury, the Mavericks had the 12th-best Adjusted Defensive Rating (112.4), according to Dunks and Threes. Maxi Kleber and Josh Green have also been missed by the Mavericks. Their covering woes have also continued without his defensive length and three-point shooting, especially on the road. His absence has shown up in the defensive metrics.

The Lakers fought back, but it wasn't enough against Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.

Yes, it was a loss and even moral victories this late can be moot, but you have to give L.A. Lots of transition plays, fouls and turnovers as Dallas tried not to choke and Los Angeles tried to steal one from the Mavs. However, that was too much time for Luka, who hit a game-tying three to send the game to OT after a failed Troy Brown game-winner that featured a lot of contact, but no call. The Lakers never folded and pushed Dallas, a team that went to the Western Conference Finals last season, to the absolute limit. took their first lead since the first minute of the game midway through the final frame, and from there on out it was a hectic pace from both sides. Entering the second OT, fatigue began to set in for both teams. This was a tough loss but if there is such a thing as a moral victory for a team that needs every real win it can get right now, this has to be one. fought back in the second, cutting the lead to as little as four thanks to Christie running shooters off the 3-point line, Russ attacking the basket and Bron heating up and scoring seven in the quarter. The defeat is the fourth in a row for L.A. But despite the positive offensive performances from the Lakers stars, the team defended the perimeter poorly allowing Dallas to shoot 33% from three and giving up too many points off turnovers (18) to overcome their poor start. It wasn’t just the Luka show for Dallas; they had three players tied at nine points in the period. In the third, it became clear the best player on the court was Luka.