9:40 pm
April 22

Lakers @ Mavericks

Who will WIN this matchup?

Los Angeles Lakers (35-23)

@ Dallas Mavericks (31-26)

 

Current odds:

Los Angeles Lakers: (+130)

Dallas Mavericks: (-150)

 

The line for this game is Mavericks by 3 points.

The reigning NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers expect to have Anthony Davis back on Thursday night when they play the Mavericks in the first game of a two-game series in Dallas. Davis’ return is the first major step for the Lakers (35-23) to get back to full strength in advance of the postseason. Los Angeles continues to await the return of four-time NBA Most Valuable Player LeBron James from an ankle injury.

The Lakers have gone 14-16 without Davis and 7-9 without him and James, dropping to fifth in the Western Conference standings. The Lakers have especially struggled lately, suffering wire-to-wire losses to the Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz on their recently completed three-game homestand.

Davis said Wednesday he feels “100 percent” healthy from the calf strain and tendinosis in his right leg, which has held him out of action since Feb. 14. James, however, might still be a couple of weeks away from returning, according to a report by ESPN. Lakers coach Frank Vogel said James, who hasn’t played since March 20 and missed the Lakers’ past 16 games with a high ankle sprain, has advanced to doing some “light work.”

Davis led the Lakers with 28 points in a 138-115 victory over the Mavericks on Christmas Day. Dallas (31-26) holds the seventh seed in the Western Conference and snapped a four-game home losing streak Wednesday with a 127-117 win over the Detroit Pistons.

Luka Doncic had 27 points and seven assists in that first meeting for Dallas but was held to four rebounds. He was 9-of-19 shooting from the field on the night.

On Wednesday against Detroit, Doncic finished one assist shy of his 10th triple-double of the season, totaling 30 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists.

Dallas’ Kristaps Porzingis had 19 points and seven rebounds while Jalen Brunson scored 18 of his 20 points in the first half.

Despite being listed as dealing with an illness, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 15 points in 26 minutes against the Pistons. Maxi Kleber left the game in the first half with a lower-back contusion.

For the Lakers, Marc Gasol has missed the past two games with a fractured left pinky finger but is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game, according to the NBA’s daily injury report. Markieff Morris (left-ankle sprain) and Dennis Schroder (right-foot infection) are listed as probable.

5/10
Confidence
StreakSmarter Pick
Dallas Mavericks