The Dallas Mavericks will be without Luka Doncic when they host the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday, so it’ll be interesting to see whether or not this Lakers team is capable of putting forth a dominant 48-minute effort here. This team has underperformed all season long, making it hard to know which version of the group will show up.
Will Los Angeles put Dallas away and leave town with an easy victory? Keep reading our NBA betting picks and predictions for Lakers vs. Mavericks to find out.
Lakers vs Mavericks odds
Odds via the Covers Line, an average comprised of odds from multiple sportsbooks.
The Lakers were 1-point road underdogs when this game opened, but it's now anywhere from a pick’em to Lakers +1.5. It’s a bit all over the place. The total, meanwhile, hasn’t moved much off the opening number of 214, with it also being 213.5 in some places.
Use the live odds widget above to track any future line movements right until tip-off and be sure to check out the full NBA odds before betting to ensure you get the best number.
Lakers vs Mavericks predictions
Predictions made on 12/15/2021 at 10:45 a.m. ET.
Click on each prediction to jump to the full analysis.
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Lakers vs Mavericks game info
• Location: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Date: Wednesday, December 15, 2021
• Tip-off: 7:30 p.m. ET
• TV: ESPN
Lakers vs Mavericks betting preview
Injuries
Lakers: Talen Horton-Tucker F (Out), Dwight Howard C (Out), Malik Monk G (Out), Anthony Davis F (Questionable), Kendrick Nunn G (Out), Trevor Ariza F (Out).
Mavericks: Luka Doncic G (Out), Sterling Brown G (Questionable), Willie Cauley-Stein C (Out).
Find our latest NBA injury reports.
Betting trend to know
The Mavericks are 1-5 against the spread In their last six home games. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Mavericks.
Lakers vs Mavericks picks and predictions
Our predictions are compiled from the analysis of the spread and total and are indications of where we are leaning for this game.
Our best bet is the play that we like the most for this game, which we would actually put some of our bankroll behind.
Spread analysis
Not only is Dallas going to be without Doncic, but the Mavericks are also just 1-5 against the spread in their last six home games. Sure, that might have changed if Dallas’ fans had the opportunity to get behind a magical Doncic performance against his idol growing up, but instead, the Mavericks will be banking on Kristaps Porzingis to lead his team to a win over a Lakers team that needs a victory.
Anthony Davis is listed as questionable, but the Lakers still have both LeBron James and Russell Westbrook in the rotation. That fit has been questionable this season, but they are the two most talented players on the floor in this game, and they should be able to impose their wills on a depleted Dallas bunch.
The Mavericks really don’t have anybody who can stick with LeBron on the defensive end, and it’s entirely possible they’ll try to get Maxi Kleber to do that. However, LeBron has the speed and athleticism to blow right by him. Also, if Davis does suiting up, the big man should have a huge performance against the slower Porzingis.
It’s also worth noting that Austin Reaves could be in for big minutes. Reaves is a scrappy young player who has given the Lakers a lot on both ends of the floor, and it wouldn’t be surprising If he makes some winning plays in this one.
Prediction: Lakers PK (-110)
Over/Under analysis
With head coach Frank Vogel at the helm, the Under is 18-7 when Los Angeles faces teams winning 51% to 60% of their games. The total points per game in those contests had the teams combining to score 211, which is lower than the number on tonight’s game.
The Mavericks being without Doncic will obviously hurt most on the offensive end where Doncic is the engine behind every single thing that Dallas does. He’s their best scorer and playmaker, and Dallas will struggle to get it going without him.
The Lakers, however, have scored 106 or fewer points in two of their last three games. They do not have a whole lot of perimeter shooting, and they’ll also be shorthanded in this one — with Monk’s absence being a hit to their offense.
The Under is 4-1-1 in Los Angeles’ last six games and it’s likely we see another low-scoring one here.
Prediction: Under 214 (-110)
Best bet
This season, the Mavericks are just 3-7 against the spread in games with lines of +3 to -3, and this spread - or lack thereof - essentially just gives you the option to pick who you want to win this game. And while there are a lot of sound reasons to fade Los Angeles in this game, the reality is the Lakers just have way too much talent to let this one slip away against the Doncic-less Mavericks.
Even if Davis ends up sitting, the Lakers will still be able to lean on Westbrook and LeBron against a Dallas team that is going to desperately need big games out of guys like Jalen Brunson, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Porzingis. That’s not a winning recipe against some of the more talented teams in the league, making it too hard not to back the Lakers.
Pick: Laker PK (-110)
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