With two consecutive victories the Los Angeles Lakers are a season-high two games over .500 as they head into Wednesday night’s matchup against the Dallas Mavericks. There were much higher expectations for the Lakers after acquiring Russell Westbrook to team with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, things haven’t worked out, yet. The Lakers could get Davis back for this game after he missed the previous two contests, and LA can match a season-high winning streak with a victory in the first meeting of the season between the Western Conference rivals.
The contest between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks takes place at 7:30 p.m. ET on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, from American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX and will air live on ESPN. BookMaker.eu will have odds for every game on the Wednesday NBA schedule.
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Odds Analysis
We expected a period of adjustment since the Lakers overhauled their entire roster in the offseason. It could be that things are starting to come together with two straight wins and payouts, and five victories in their last seven games. The defense has stiffened up lately leading to a surge up the standings. They held the last two opponents to fewer than 100 points and allowed an average of just over 101 points over the previous six games with the UNDER going 5-1. Since opening the season with nine wins in 13 games the Mavs reversed that record over their last 13 games and are at .500 following Sunday’s win over OKC. The Mavs are in the middle of a stretch where they play four home games in a five-game span and look to improve on their record at AAC. They host Charlotte on Monday having lost five in a row SU and ATS on their own floor.
Los Angeles Lakers
We may not see many more games like the one LeBron had on Sunday in a win over Orlando. James notched his second triple-double in three games scoring 30 points with 11 rebounds and 10 assists as the Lakers pulled away with a dominant second half to win their second straight and for the fifth time in seven games. It’s the best stretch of basketball all season for the aged group and it could be that all the roster manipulations during the off season are coming to fruition. Or maybe it’s the strong play of James and a soft spot in the schedule. We’ll know more as the season progresses.
Though he turns 37 at the end of the month, James is playing like a 20-something. He plays nearly 37 minutes a game, is shooting over 50 percent from the field and averages 26.3 points, which would be his highest scoring average in three seasons. More impressive is that the Lakers won consecutive games without the services of Davis, who could return on Wednesday. The trio of James, AD and Westbrook was expected to give LA a leg up in the West. And it looks like they are finally learning how to play together.
Dallas Mavericks
It’s hard to say if the training regimen of Luka Doncic had anything to do with the ankle injury that forced him to miss a few games. Last week Doncic admitted that his conditioning has “got to be better.” It’s a concern for the Mavs to have their best player out of shape and missing a number of games due to ailments that may or may not be connected. Either way it’s a subject that has been dealt with by the player and team and both should be better moving forward. At least Jason Kidd hopes that’s the case. Doncic is expected to be back in the lineup Wednesday after sitting out the previous two contests. The Mavs beat OKC on Sunday, their first win in five games without Luka.
The Mavs need to take what they learned in Sunday’s game and apply that when Doncic is on the floor. It’s become too easy for the team to rely on one of the best players in the game while letting others be spectators. Jalen Brunson started in place of Doncic leading a balanced effort with 18 points in the win over OKC. Dallas has been one of the worst offensive teams in the NBA averaging less than 104 points leading them to trend the UNDER. They’ve played below the closing total in six straight games.
NBA Odds Pick
With Davis and Doncic expected to play the game should at least have the star power. Both clubs have underachieved but the Lakers have more upside and with a little momentum they should be able to take care of business against a Mavs club that struggles at home.
NBA Odds Prediction: Lakers 107, Mavericks 98
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