Dallas @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 1, 2019 ) L.A. Lakers 119, Dallas 110

The Dallas Mavericks get another chance to prove themselves against a quality team when they visit the NBA-best Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday. The Mavericks are getting historic performances from second-year star Luka Doncic but the team has yet to knock off one of the two Los Angeles squads ahead of them in the Western Conference.

Dallas fell at home to the Lakers 119-110 in overtime on Nov. 1 and dropped a 114-99 decision to the Clippers on Tuesday before beginning its three-game trip with a 120-113 triumph at Phoenix behind 42 points from Doncic on Friday. The Mavericks are winners of six of their last seven games but are going up against a Los Angeles squad that stretched its winning streak to 10 straight with a 125-103 drubbing of the Washington Wizards on Friday. The Lakers' 17-2 start matches the 1985-86 and 2008-09 teams as the best 19-game starts in franchise history, and they completed a 14-1 November with Friday's triumph. "Obviously, this is a historic franchise; they have done so many great things," star forward Anthony Davis told reporters. "To be a part of a franchise like this is definitely amazing. I just want to leave my mark here and just keep it going."

TV: 4 p.m. ET, FS Southwest (Dallas), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (12-6): Doncic was held to 4-of-14 from the floor in the loss to the Clippers but rebounded by matching his career high Friday on 12-of-24 shooting to go with 11 assists and nine rebounds. Doncic averaged 32.4 points, 10.4 assists and 10.3 rebounds in November, joining Russell Westbrook and Oscar Robertson as the only players to average a 30-point triple-double in a calendar month. "It's surprising, but it's not shocking," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters of Doncic. "He's just an exceptional player, an exceptional person and he's exceptionally tough. You don't find that combination in 20-year old guys coming into the NBA very often. But he's having a spectacular year. Just absolutely breathtaking."

ABOUT THE LAKERS (17-2): Davis (26 points, 13 rebounds) and LeBron James (23 points, 11 assists) both recorded double-doubles in Friday's triumph and have Los Angeles and its fans thinking about an 17th championship banner. "We have championship aspirations, but at the end of the day, that's not what's here right now," James told reporters. "What's right now is our next opponent, and that's Dallas. And they're very good. And we want to continue to get better and better and have championship mindset every time we step on the floor. ... This is a big process, this is a long process, but we can never shortcut it. But we enjoy it along the way." The Lakers are thriving on both ends and shot 51.7 percent from the floor while holding Washington to 39.6 percent on Friday.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Lakers C JaVale McGee collected 15 points and 11 rebounds on Friday for his second double-double of the season.

2. Mavericks F Kristaps Porzingis scored a season-low two points and went 0-of-8 from the floor on Friday.

3. James (39 points, 16 assists, 12 rebounds) and Doncic (31 points, 15 assists, 13 rebounds) both recorded a triple-double in the Nov. 1 meeting.

PREDICTION: Lakers 113, Mavericks 107