Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Preview, Prediction & Odds | April 9, 2025

It’s the next installment of the Luka Doncic revenge game as the Los Angeles Lakers travel to take on the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. Anthony Davis is also playing a revenge game against his former team and is looking to mathematically lock up the 10th seed. All the buzz is surrounding the Lakers going into this and the Mavericks have lost two in a row coming into this game. It’s still anyone’s chance to better position their team for the playoffs once this one tips off. This is sure to be a heated and emotional matchup as all the chips start getting pushed to the center of the table this season.

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Odds

Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks Match Details

• Date and Time: Wed, April 9, 7:30 PM
• Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

Lakers Faring Well Against Last Season’s Tests

The Lakers are coming off a two-game series against the league’s number one team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. Los Angeles won the first contest in dominating fashion with a 27-point rout. Likely league MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was stifled and the Lakers appeared to outsmart and out-physical the Thunder. The second game was much closer and the Lakers lost after a late run by the Thunder 120-136. Los Angeles allowed Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to score 41 points in the second contest.

Possibly the bigger story here is the obvious implications of the Luka Doncic trade. Since acquiring the superstar, the Lakers have a record of 16-3 and have rocketed their way into the third seed in the Western Conference. Doncic has averaged 27.3 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.7 assists for the Lakers. The team chemistry has also appeared to work well with LeBron James and the Lakers have become a serious piece in championship talks. I wouldn’t bet against Luka any time he plays in Dallas in the foreseeable future, at least until he wins a title in LA.

Mavs Need A Win To Secure Play In Spot

The Dallas Mavericks are also coming off of back-to-back games against the same top tier in conference competition. The Mavs did not fare nearly as well as they fell to the Clippers in back-to-back games, first by 20 and then by 30. Anthony Davis returned to the lineup after sitting out the first game with an injury. He contributed 27 points in the same number of minutes and Dallas still lost 104-135. Dallas has managed to sort of default their way into the 10th seed.

Therefore, they will have a chance at the playoffs in the play-in tournament. Assuming they don’t run into a mathematical worst-case scenario, the Dallas Mavericks should be in the play-intournament. They still could really use a win at any point in the remaining regular season games to lock the Phoenix Suns out of it. I’m just not sure if this team is ready to seal the deal against a team that is trending in the totally opposite way.

Final Pick

Lakers to cover the spread at -5 (-110).