Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks: Preview, Analysis and Predictions

It's a rematch of opening night, as the Los Angeles Lakers continue their road trip and head to the Lone Star State to face the Dallas Mavericks. The young and feisty Mavs took advantage of the Lakers' failed Princeton offense on October 30, using a fast-paced game to come away with a 99-91 victory.

But that was against the old Lakers. Mike Brown and the Princeton offense are gone, replaced by the run-and-gun game of Mike D'Antoni. Since Brown's firing, the Lakers have gone 5-3.

Contrastingly, the Mavericks have come back down to Earth following a 4-1 start, having gone 3-5 since.

The Lakers have indeed looked better as of late but still have a few major humps to overcome. The team has lost two straight games and has yet to win a game on the road. The Lakers will thus look to take full advantage of a young Mavericks team that is without star forward Dirk Nowitzki and clearly misses his presence.

That's not going to be at all easy for Los Angeles, as Dallas is coming off a close 114-111 victory against the New York Knicks. Guard O.J. Mayo called this win a "big confidence boost" (h/t ESPN).

The stage is set for a high-scoring game, and a win for either team would stir up a lot of momentum. With balance and depth on both sides, the team that simply wants it more will win.

 

Time: Saturday, November 24th, 8:30 p.m. EST

TV: Fox Sports Southwest, Time Warner Cable SportsNet

Records: Los Angeles Lakers (6-7) vs. Dallas Mavericks (7-6)

Betting Lines: Los Angeles (-1.5), Dallas (+1.5), via Bovada

Injuries: Dirk Nowitzki (knee, out), Troy Murphy (illness, doubtful), Steve Nash (leg, out), Steve Blake (abdomen, out)

 

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