2019 NBA Preview, Odds, And Prediction: Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks will be facing a relatively banged up Los Angeles Lakers on Friday night inside the American Airlines Center in Texas as the teams lock horns for the fourth time this season.

The Lakers (30-7) lead the season series so far after winning the Nov. 2 and Dec. 29 showdown last year. The Mavs (23-14) was able to nab the win in their face-off last Dec. 1 where Luka Doncic flirted with a triple-double (27-9-10).

With the fourth contest situated right back at home, Doncic and the rest of the Mavs will look to even up the affair with another comeback win.

Lakers:

Anthony Davis is listed as questionable while LeBron James is reported to be in a less than a 100 percent state ahead of Friday's clash.

Davis has suffered a backside contusion during Tuesday’s game against the Knicks after he landed hard to the floor on a failed block attempt. He was diagnosed with a gluteus maximus contusion and was initially announced to miss the next couple of games.

James, meanwhile, reportedly experienced flu-like symptoms, thus was limited in practice on Thursday. He is listed as probable for the game.

Going into the joust against the Mavs sans their two best players, the Lakers will be putting their six-game winning onslaught in peril.

Mavs:

The Mavs have ultimately become synonymous with Luka Doncic this year. Because, why not? The 20-year-old is averaging close to a triple-double in just his second season in the NBA, breaking league records and achieving milestones expeditiously.

But while the individual showcase has brought fans into the bandwagon, the Mavs still found themselves on the rocky road lately. Over their last six games, they suffered four defeats, including a heart-breaking 107-106 loss to the Nuggets at home on Wednesday.

Odds and Trends:

Spread is -2.5 for the Mavs while the Total line is pegged at 223.5.

The Lakers are 5-2 ATS in their last 7 games following an ATS win and 7-3-1 in their last 11 Friday games.

The Mavericks are 10-3-1 ATS in their last 14 games following a straight-up loss and 16-5-2 in their last 23 games following an ATS loss.

Under is 6-1 in Lakers’ last 7 games following a straight-up win and 4-1 in Mavericks’ last 5 games vs. a team with a winning % above .600.

Over is 7-1 in Mavericks’ last 8 Friday games.

Prediction:

Straight-up: Mavs

ATS: Mavs

Total: Over