Lakers Prepare for Short-Handed Mavericks
The Los Angeles Lakers are coming off a road loss against the Houston Rockets, a game where the Lakers dug themselves in a hole in the first half. The Rockets found themselves up by as many as 22 points in the opening half of play. Jalen Green was on fire to start the game and finished with 33 points on 50% shooting. The Lakers would cut the deficit in the second half to as many as two points but were never able to get over the hump.
A final score of 119-115 would end up being the Lakers first loss of the 2025 year and first loss of the Texas road trip. The Lakers have now dropped to the fifth seed in the Western Conference standings and a record of 20-15. Their next game is another road matchup in Texas. This time against the Dallas Mavericks, who are right behind the Lakers in the West at the sixth spot.
The Mavericks are currently on a four game losing streak and are short handed. Luka Doncic has been nursing a calf injury he suffered on Christmas Day that is expected to sideline him for multiple weeks. Kyrie Irving has been battling with an illness this week and his status for tomorrow's game is still undetermined. The Mavericks will be facing the Lakers on the second night of a back to back. They will tip-off against the Memphis Grizzlies tonight on the road. Irving has already been ruled out for tonight's game.
Keys for a Lakers victory tomorrow night will be containing the Mavericks three point shooting. The Mavs are ranked in the top 10 when it comes to shooting percentage from behind the arc. The former Maverick, Dorian Finney-Smith was brought in to the Lakers for his perimeter defense. He will have to be a defensive leader and limit his former team from getting hot from deep. Lakers big men, Anthony Davis and Jaxson Hayes will need to win this game for Los Angeles on the glass. The Mavericks average 11 offensive rebounds per game which ranks them in the top half of the league. The Lakers are already susceptible to giving opponents second chance opportunities. This recipe has allowed opponents to get off to big leads on the Lakers. Against the Rockets, the Lakers lost the offensive glass battle 18-10. The Mavericks are built with athletic bigs like Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford and P.J. Washington who will be a handful to box out.
The Lakers will look to take advantage of the extra day rest they have over the Mavericks. Tomorrow’s game will mark the first out of three matchups between the two teams. With how close the Western Conference standings are, these matchups can be used as tiebreakers for any seeding scenarios later down the line in the season. Tip-off will be at 4:30 p.m. Pacific Standard Time.
