The Dallas Mavericks have got work to do if they expect to fend off the Memphis Grizzlies and Golden State Warriors in hopes of attaining one of the last playoff spots in the Western Conference. Rick Carlisle’s crew has been playing with fire of late in dropping five of seven and managing just one point spread cover at online sportsbooks during that stretch. And to think, this level of play occurred immediately after overtaking the Grizz atop the Southwest Division standings by rattling off five straight wins and covers against the Thunder, Celtics, Knicks, Wizards and Jazz. As for the Los Angeles Lakers, the defending champs continue to tread water as it awaits the return of Anthony Davis in the near future and LeBron James closer to playoff time. Saturday’s tilt represents the second leg of two straight to be held in Big D with Luka Doncic and the Mavs looking to finally take one from the Lake Show; LA’s 9-1 SU and 8-2 ATS in the last 10 meetings.
Take this heated Western Conference showdown in live on Saturday, April 24, 2021. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX. The game will be broadcast live on ABC. BookMaker.eu will have NBA odds available for this and every game set to go off on Saturday’s NBA slate.
NBA Betting Lines at BookMaker.eu
Odds Analysis
The skeleton crew that is the Lakers has found a way to win some ball games since the end of March. During that stretch, the team has amassed 7-6 SU and ATS records and tallied wins against playoff bound teams like Brooklyn, Charlotte and Utah. After most recently splitting a pair at the Staples Center against the Jazz, Los Angeles will invade the Lone Star State looking to improve upon their 18-10 SU and 16-12 ATS as visitors. This will be the third game over a four-game stretch for the Mavericks who haven’t looked great since earning a 116-101 win and cover as 2.5-point favorites against the Giannis-less Milwaukee Bucks back on April 8. Since then, the team has lost four of five and would enter Wednesday’s home tilt against Detroit losers of every game if not for Doncic’s last second heroics in Memphis. If not for that Hail Mary from beyond the arc, Dallas would be staring up at the Grizzlies in the standings.
Los Angeles Lakers
After fending the Jazz off in overtime after Utah exerted a ton of energy just to tie it up, the Lakers crashed back into reality in the rematch and fell by a 111-97 final count as 7-point home dogs; Donovan Mitchell missed both games with the ankle injury that’s expected to have him out until early May at the earliest. LA lit the Jazz defense up for a 52 percent success rate in the first go round, but shot nearly 10 percentage points less in the rematch which allowed Utah to coast through the first three quarters before going on to win by 14 points and cover the closing 7-point NBA odds. Talen Horton-Tucker went on to lead the team in scoring with a season-high 24 points on 8 of 13 shooting. He continues to impress in his new role as the team’s sixth man while the big guns ride the pine.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavs couldn’t have picked a worse time to start tanking. The team is in a heated race with the Trail Blazers, Grizzlies, Warriors and Pelicans for one of the last few playoff spots in the West. Even so, the team is hardly playing with the type of aggression one would expect from one with so much on the line every passing game. The most recent 121-107 loss to the Sacramento Kings – at home no less – was a tough one to swallow. After getting owned at home by the Knicks the game prior as 6.5-point favorites, it went out and laid that egg against Big Sac to fall a single game under .500 as a host and moving to 10-17 ATS in those matchups; not good! One can’t help but question the heart and resolve of this ball club!
Los Angeles vs. Dallas Prediction
It’s now or never! If Dallas doesn’t bust the broom out on the Lakers in the two games to be played through the weekend, it doesn’t deserve to snag a playoff seed. Not even close! I had huge expectations for this team at the outset of the regular season, but it’s dramatically failed to live up to my own personal hype. Heck, Doncic isn’t even being considered for the league MVP anymore with the futures odds dictating a two-man race between Nikola Jokic and Joel Embiid. Just know, Luka currently clocks in at 42-1 should the switch get flipped down the stretch. Anyhoo, I’ll be ponying up and betting on the Mavs to make a statement in this one. Los Angeles has made them their you know what, so it’s high time Dallas does everything and anything it takes to make a statement and solidify its spot as a Western Conference title contender. If it doesn’t, start looking to sell all your Dallas futures by fading them the rest of the way.
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
