Coming off a 22-point loss as an 8-point underdog in Minnesota last night, the hobbled Los Angeles Lakers will face one of the NBA’s best home-court bets tonight in Big D. The Mavs are just 18-21 SU this season but are 15-3 SU and 14-4 ATS at American Airlines Center. Dallas opened as a 6-point favorite, but with money pouring in on the Mavericks, this spread is already at 8.5 and could close near double digits.
- LeBron James and Rajon Rondo are out for LA; Kyle Kuzma is questionable.
- Dallas is 15-3 SU and 14-4 ATS on home court this season.
- The total has gone UNDER in six of the Lakers’ last seven games with no days off between games.
Lakers vs Mavericks Game Center
Without Their Leaders, The Lakers Are Struggling
It’s not breaking news that the young Lakers are in trouble without LeBron James and Rajan Rondo in the lineup. Add in that the reliable Kyle Kuzma has been absent from the floor with a back injury.
James and Kuzma are the two leading scorers, combining for an average of 45.6 points per game for Luke Walton’s team. With LeBron’s leadership off the floor, Walton would normally turn to the veteran Rondo, however, he’s sitting next to those guys in street clothes on the sidelines, leaving a massive hole in the Lakers lineup.
LA is 1-5 SU and 2-4 ATS in its last six games and is averaging just 99.3 points per game in its last three.
Who Can Explain Why Dallas is So Good at Home?
Part of it is due to the strength of the opponents that have visited Dallas so far this season. Atlanta, Orlando, Washington, New York, Chicago and Brooklyn are among the teams that have been visitors to American Airlines Center this year.
Regardless of where they’ve played in the last three weeks, Dallas is 3-10 SU and 7-6 ATS in its last 13. The O/U is 0-5-1 in the last six Mavs’ outings and, notably, Dallas is just 8-6 ATS as the favorite this season.
My Best Bet Tonight
With the Lakers struggling so much to score and heading to an arena that hasn’t been kind to visiting teams this season, I’m going to take the Dallas Mavericks on the spread in this game. To be completely honest, as the spread creeps higher, I become less confident in the ability of the Mavs to cover double digits.
If you can get in on this around the 8-point mark, I’d suggest betting Dallas, but if the spread continues to grow, an UNDER play might make more sense.
Luke Walton called out some of his team in the media after the loss to Minnesota, so it remains to be seen how the Lakers respond tonight.
