Kyle Kuzma will be back in the Los Angeles Lakers lineup on a minutes restriction as they look for their fourth straight win when they take on the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers will be in Dallas to begin their three-game road trip, which marks the first time they’ve played a game not at Staples Center during the 2019-20 NBA season. And with Kuzma returning, they’ll have reinforcements at just the right time.
The Lakers will look to ride off the hot hand of Anthony Davis after a historic performance in their blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies. Davis scored 40 points and grabbed 20 rebounds in an NBA record 31 minutes. He’ll look to keep that momentum alive even as he plays on a sore shoulder.
The Mavericks have also been on a hot start to begin the new season. Their young All-Star duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis has been as electrifying as promised with the former looking like one of the league’s premier players early in the season. Through four games, he is averaging 25.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, and 6.8 assists — all numbers that lead the Mavericks.
For the Lakers, Davis is averaging an absurd 28.8 points and 12.5 rebounds while LeBron James is averaging a near double-double of his own with 23.3 points and 9.5 assists.
In injury news, the Lakers look to play their healthiest game of the season. Rajon Rondo will not play and they will still be without Talen Horton-Tucker, but it appears they’ll have the rest of their rotation players ready to go.
The Mavericks have also been in impeccable health with no one listed on any injury report, which is likely a part of the reason for this great start.
This game will not be like any Lakers-Mavericks game fans have seen in recent seasons. For now, it appears both teams will be extremely competitive in a tough Western Conference.
And while it’s unclear if the Mavericks can make the 2019 NBA playoffs, they’re certainly making people rethink their preseason predictions.
If the Lakers can contain Doncic, they should be home free, but that task is far easier said than done.
The Mavericks start and finish with Doncic, so it will be interesting to see how the Lakers handle the young All-Star player in the making.
Los Angeles Lakers (3-1) vs. Dallas Mavericks (3-1)
6:30 P.M. PT, Nov. 1, 2019
American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
TV: ESPN, Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN), 1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: LeBron James
SG: Avery Bradley
SF: Danny Green
PF: Anthony Davis
C: JaVale McGee
Key Reserves: Dwight Howard, Troy Daniels, Quinn Cook, Jared Dudley, Alex Caruso, Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope
Projected Mavericks Starting Lineup:
PG: Seth Curry
SG: Dorian Finney-Smith
SF: Luka Doncic
PF: Dwight Powell
C: Kristaps Porzingis
Key Reserves: Maxi Kleber, Delon Wright, Tim Hardaway Jr., Jalen Brunson, Justin Jackson