After a rocky and uneven win against the Indiana Pacers, the Los Angeles Lakers hope to find some stability on the second night of a back-to-back against the surprising Dallas Mavericks.
The Mavericks are on a hot streak, winning seven of their last eight and they’ll hope to avenge a road loss against this Lakers team from a month ago on Halloween.
The Lakers are 3-1 on the second night of a back-to-back so far during the 2018-19 NBA season, and Josh Hart always has a good plan when it comes to these situations.
“Getting a good night’s sleep tonight and coming in and being professional. Every team has back-to-backs. There’s no excuses.” Hart said. “We’ve got to come out defensively with intensity and when that second lineup gets in, we’ve got to come with energy.”
The Lakers so far have struggled to find consistency in any part of their rotation, so it will be key to remain focused against a young and hungry Mavericks team.
Tyson Chandler had some positive words when asked about his former team.
“They’ve been playing really well. They’ve been able to go into other cities and get some big wins; most recently being Houston.” Chandler said after the Mavericks’ second straight win against a playoff opponent.
“We’ve got to come to play. It’s going to take the full team’s effort. We’ve got to lock in on our keys, try to take them out of easy baskets. Just play with effort.”
Stopping this Mavericks team is tough as the duo of Luka Doncic and DeAndre Jordan can attack teams in all facets. Chandler and JaVale McGee will have their work cut out for them down low, while Brandon Ingram, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and Josh Hart will have to find ways to shut down Doncic on the perimeter.
If the Lakers can maintain their focus and not revert to silly turnovers, this is a very winnable game, just as long as they don’t discount what the Mavericks have been able to do this year.
Los Angeles Lakers (12-9) vs. Dallas Mavericks (10-9)
7:30 P.M. PT, Nov. 30, 2018
Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
TV: Spectrum SportsNet
Radio: 710 AM (ESPN)/1330 KWKW (Spanish)
Projected Lakers Starting Lineup:
PG: Lonzo Ball
SG: Brandon Ingram
SF: LeBron James
PF: Kyle Kuzma
C: JaVale McGee
Key Reserves: Josh Hart, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Tyson Chandler, Lance Stephenson
Projected Mavericks Starting Lineup:
PG: Dennis Smith Jr.
SG: Wesley Matthews
SF: Luka Doncic
PF: Harrison Barnes
C: DeAndre Jordan
Key Reserves: Dorian Finney-Smith, Dwight Powell, J.J. Barea, Max Kleber