The Los Angeles Lakers are riding high after winning the inaugural NBA In-Season Tournament championship on Saturday. Just a few days later, the Lakers resume their regular season schedule with a road trip to Dallas. The Lakers and the Dallas Mavericks square off in a spotlight matchup. Los Angeles is 14-9 overall this season, though the Lakers did lose the first matchup against Dallas this season. The Mavericks are 6-4 at American Airlines Center, with that venue hosting this matchup. Anthony Davis (adductor) and LeBron James (calf) are listed as questionable for Los Angeles.Â
Tipoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET in Dallas. For this game, SportsLine consensus lists Los Angeles as the 1.5-point favorites, while the over/under, or total number of points Vegas thinks will be scored, is 235.5 in the latest Mavericks vs. Lakers odds. Before making any Lakers vs. Mavericks picks, you need to see the NBA predictions and betting advice from SportsLine’s advanced computer simulation model.
The SportsLine Projection Model simulates every NBA game 10,000 times and has returned well over $10,000 in profit for $100 players on its top-rated NBA picks over the past five-plus seasons. The model enters Week 8 of the 2023-24 NBA season on a sizzling 97-51 roll on all top-rated NBA picks dating back to last season, returning more than $4,000. Anyone following it has seen huge returns.
Now, the model has set its sights on Lakers vs. Mavs and just locked in its picks and NBA predictions. You can head to SportsLine now to see the model’s picks. Now, here are several NBA odds and betting lines for Mavs vs. Lakers:
- Lakers vs. Mavericks spread: Lakers -1.5
- Lakers vs. Mavericks over/under: 235.5 points
- Lakers vs. Mavericks money line: Lakers -125, Mavericks +105
- LAL: The Lakers are 5-6 against the spread in road games
- DAL: The Mavericks are 4-6 against the spread in home games
- Lakers vs. Mavericks picks: See picks at SportsLine
Why the Lakers can cover
Los Angeles is coming off a thoroughly dominant performance in the NBA In-Season Tournament. The Lakers won the tournament title without losing a game, and Los Angeles out-scored its opponents by 19.0 points per 100 possessions. The Lakers allowed only 1.02 points per possession on defense, holding opponents to 40% from the field and 31.7% from 3-point range in tournament action. Los Angeles also posted a 61.7% true shooting mark with a 34.2% offensive rebound rate in tournament games.Â
Beyond the in-season tournament, the Lakers have top-six marks in the NBA in free throw creation, field goal percentage, 2-point percentage and points in the paint on offense this season. Los Angeles is also averaging almost 16 fast break points and more than 26 assists per game. On defense, the Lakers lead the NBA in free throw prevention, yielding only 18.6 attempts per game, and Los Angeles is firmly in the top ten of the league in opponent shooting and defensive rebounding. See which team to pick here.
Why the Mavericks can cover
The Mavericks have been solid at home this season, out-scoring opponents by 4.5 points per 100 possessions across 10 games. Dallas also has a potent offense that is scoring well over 1.18 points per possession this season. The Mavericks have the best turnover rate in the league, committing a giveaway on fewer than 12% of offensive possessions. Dallas also leads the NBA in 3-pointers per game while shooting 37% from 3-point distance. With the Mavericks also ranking in the top five of the league in 2-point shooting, Dallas makes life difficult on opponents.Â
On defense, the Mavericks are near the top of the league in allowing only 21.1 free throw attempts per game. Dallas should also benefit from shortcomings of the Los Angeles offense. The Lakers are last in the NBA in 3-pointers (10.2 per game) while making only 34.3% of 3-point attempts. Los Angeles is also poor on the offensive glass, securing only 25.3% of missed shots, and the Lakers are committing 14.7 turnovers per game. See which team to pick here.
How to make Lakers vs. Mavericks picks
SportsLine’s model is leaning Over on the point total, with 12 players projected to score at least eight points. The model also says one side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations. You can only see the model’s pick at SportsLine.
So who wins Lakers vs. Mavericks, and which side of the spread hits in well over 50% of simulations? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Lakers vs. Mavericks spread you need to jump on Tuesday, all from the model that finished last year on an 97-51 roll on top-rated NBA picks, and find out. Â