Article courtesy OddsShark (@OddsShark)
The Los Angeles Lakers will get a second chance to pick up their first victory of the season on Friday night when they face the Dallas Mavericks as consensus six-point home betting favorites on the NBA odds at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com.
The Lakers’ Christmas Day contest comes on the heels of a 116-109 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers in their season opener on Tuesday night. The Lakers had been listed as small 2-point betting favorites at sportsbooks in that game, with the OVER paying off on the totals.
Mavericks vs Lakers | OddsShark Matchup Report
The Lakers got off to a sluggish start against the Clippers, trailing 39-19 after the first quarter, but had cut that deficit down to just two points by halftime. The Clippers then outscored the Lakers 33-24 in the third quarter, and held on from there to earn the victory in the opener.
LeBron James had a team-high 22 points for the Lakers in their loss to the Clippers, while Anthony Davis picked up 18 points and seven rebounds on the night. Dennis Schroder approached a triple-double in the contest with 14 points, 12 rebounds, and eight assists, with fellow newcomer Montrezl Harrell adding 17 points off the bench. Kyle Kuzma had 15 points.
James twisted his ankle in Tuesday’s loss, but is still expected to play on Friday night against a Mavericks team that Los Angeles has dominated in recent meetings. The Lakers are 8-2 straight up and 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games against Dallas dating back to February 2018, according to the OddsShark NBA Database, with the OVER/UNDER going 4-6 in that stretch at online betting sites. The Lakers have covered five of the last six meetings.
The Lakers are also 5-1 SU and 4-2 ATS in their last six games against the Mavericks at the Staples Center. The UNDER paid on the totals in each of the last five games in that stretch.
Dallas opened its season on the road at the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night as a 1-point underdog on the betting lines, falling 106-102 despite a 32-point performance from Luka Doncic. Mavericks center Kristaps Porzingis is out indefinitely recovering from knee surgery.
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