Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview (12/25/22)
While Luka Doncic has been phenomenal, the Mavericks have crawled out to a 17-16 record through their first 33 games, which is good for just eighth place in the West right now. That obviously isn’t going to be good enough for this team after what they accomplished last season. The good news for Dallas is that they will run into a Lakers squad that has been even worse than them this season, and they will be without their top player this season in Anthony Davis. This could be an explosive game for the Mavericks, so let’s run through three bold predictions and see what could end up happening in this game.
Christmas Day NBA schedule: How to watch Mavericks vs. Lakers on ChristmasThe Dallas Mavericks (17-16) host the Los Angeles Lakers (13-19) in the Christmas Day matinee game. Despite key injuries to both teams, this should be an exciting game with Luka Doncic facing off against one of his favorite players in LeBron James. This contest kicks off at 1:30 pm CST and has simultaneous broadcasts on both ABC and ESPN. This is just the sixth Christmas Day game in Dallas Mavericks history and in the previous five games Dallas boasts a 2-3 record. The Lakers, on the other hand, are no stranger to games on Christmas, playing 48 matchups previously where they hold a 24-24 record. These two teams actually played the Christmas game back in 2020 as well, just after the NBA had resumed play a few months after the NBA Bubble championship ended in October.
Not everything has gone right for Dallas this season, but Bullock will show he still is capable of playing lockdown defense when he needs to. 1. The Mavericks will rout the Lakers by a score of 140-106The Lakers could be in a lot of trouble for as long as Davis is out, and that will ring true against a Mavericks team that is eager to prove that they can hang around the top of the West this season. That will result in this game becoming ugly, and fast, as Dallas will jump out to an early 36-20 lead in the first quarter and never look back. The game will really be blown open in the second quarter, thanks primarily to Wood, who chips in 15 points in the frame. After making his presence felt in the paint in the second quarter, Wood will begin to linger at the perimeter, and Doncic continually finds his open teammate, who hits five threes in the quarter to account for his 15 points. LeBron won’t be able to keep the Lakers in this one, and both teams will empty their benches late in the third quarter with the game out of hand.
The good news for Dallas is that they have some really solid wing defenders on their team who will likely be up for the challenge that comes with slowing James down. Chief among them is Reggie Bullock, who will likely spend the majority of this game shadowing James. Bullock proved he’s an elite defender throughout the playoffs last season, and he will have to step up again in this one. Bullock will likely have some help in this one, as much of the attention will be on James on defense, but he will play a key role in keeping James quiet in this one. LeBron will struggle from the field, shooting just 5/18 and finishing the game with 16 points.
How to watch Mavericks vs. Lakers: Live stream info, TV
Watch NBA games LIVE with fuboTV (click for free trial)3. Mavericks PF Christian Wood will score 30 pointsThe Mavericks were hoping that Christian Wood could come in this season and be the secondary scorer that Doncic needed to help him keep the offense afloat. Wood has been great for Dallas so far, but he’s curiously started just five games this season, although it is worth noting that Wood has started the Mavs four most recent games. Whatever the reason for Jason Kidd’s curious usage of Wood, he has a very favorable matchup in front of him on Christmas Day. With Davis being out, that means Wood will likely be matched up against either Thomas Bryant or Damian Jones when he finds himself on the court. That’s a matchup Wood will likely take advantage of all game long.
Dallas Mavericks: 3 Bold Predictions For Christmas Day Vs. LakersThe Dallas Mavericks haven’t had smooth sledding so far in the 2022-23 season, but they are hoping that will change on Christmas Day when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers. The two Western Conference sides will face off on the NBA’s slate of Christmas games, and with the game fast approaching, we decided it would be a good time to roll out our Mavericks Christmas Day predictions. After making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals last season, the Mavs haven’t looked like the same team this season.
Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers: Match Prediction
Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Mar 29, 2022 Game
The Lakers throttled Dallas that day, 138-115. Here’s some things to consider heading up to the game: Luka Doncic vs LeBron James should be outstanding basketball At a glance, this seems like it could be a bit of a disappointing match up. Injuries have piled up for Dallas, with the injury report growing longer with each game. Maxi Kleber, Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green, and maybe even Reggie Bullock may be out for the Mavericks. On the Laker end, Anthony Davis is dealing with a stress injury in his foot and is out indefinitely.
For the Mavericks, Dorian Finney-Smith and Reggie Bullock are the primary defenders on star opposing perimeter players. One or both will be out. There’s some notion that Josh Green might play, but asking him to guard LeBron James is cruel. That leaves... Luka Doncic or Spencer Dinwiddie to guard James? Oh no. On the other side of the ball, who do the Lakers put on Doncic? Luka would send Austin Reeves back to the bench within minutes.
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A 6-8 point guard. He’s 225 pounds. He has the ball on a string. And more importantly, his vision. That’s why I love him. ” Considering neither team has a defender for the other, hopefully we’ll see the pair of superstars actually guard one another. And without any regular rim protectors for either team, hopefully we’ll get some highlight plays attacking the paint. The Mavericks are clear favorites, but might be a risky bet The Mavericks are currently projected as heavy 7. 5 point favorites against the Los Angeles Lakers, according to DraftKings. Given the absence of Anthony Davis paired with the season-long road struggles for their Lakers (they’ve won just five road games in 16 tries), this seems like a reasonable line. And yet the Mavericks have been remarkably bad against the spread.
Houston Rockets vs. Dallas Mavericks: Live Stream, TV
Consider this: Against the spread this season, Dallas is 11-20-2 Within that, the Mavericks are 8-17-1 as favorites and just 5-11-1 as home favorites They’re 13-4 as a home favorite straight up So going off the history of this season, it’s reasonable to expect a closer game than expected with the Mavericks pulling out. That means we should perhaps expect a pretty fun basketball game. Who plays defense in this game? Defense is overrated in a regular season showcase game, but the two teams will still try. That said, it’s not clear where the defense is coming from.
And yet we get to watch one of the greatest players of all time play against one of the greatest players of all time. Seriously, Luka Doncic loves playing against LeBron James and has his fair share of great shots against Lebron. And LeBron has had nothing but praise for Doncic. This summer on his show The Shop, he was asked what made Luka so special and replied, “His size. I mean he’s gigantic.
Resume and Highlights: Lakers 110-128 Mavericks in NBA
Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Prediction - Statsalt