Lakers vs Mavericks Free Pick, NBA Free Picks, NBA Predictions 1/7/25
- J.A. Cavalier
- Jan 7
- 3 min read
LA LAKERS @ DALLAS (LAL -6.5, 220.5)
NBA ODDS, NBA PREDICTIONS, NBA PREVIEWS
LAKERS @ MAVERICKS 1/7/25
Tonight, the Los Angeles Lakers are hitting the road, ready to lock horns with the Dallas Mavericks. Following a narrow 119-115 road defeat to Houston on Sunday night, the Lakers are looking to bounce back, despite beating the 4.5-point spread as underdogs. Meanwhile, Dallas lost to Memphis on the road last night. That came after falling short at home to Cleveland by a 134-122 score on Friday night.
The Lakers lost to Houston on Sunday, dropping their overall record to 20-15. That puts them in a tie with the Clippers for the top spot in the Pacific Division. An unfavourable 18-3 run in the first quarter turned a previous one-point lead into a 14-point deficit against the Rockets. Despite a strong comeback attempt, they were unable to seal the victory. Anthony Davis scored 30 points in the defeat, accompanied by 13 rebounds.
On the season, the Lakers are 14th in scoring, averaging 112.3 points per game. They're 26th in rebounds with a game average of 41.6 and 12th in assists delivering 26.5 per game. The Lakers are 19th in scoring defense, allowing an average of 113.9 points per game. Anthony Davis shines as the team leader with an impressive 26 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. The Lakers team's field goal percentage is 47.3% (9th in the league), and their three-point shooting stands at 35.5% (18th) with an average of 11.9 triples per game.
Meanwhile, Dallas had their hands full on the road against Memphis on Monday night, making this home game the second of two consecutive. The Mavericks, who were 20-15 on the season, are trailing by three games in the Southwest Division behind the Rockets. Dallas has gone 4-2 in back-to-back game scenarios this season, posting an average scoring margin of +2.2 points per game. They've had a solid home record with a +7.9 point per game scoring differential and a 14-12 record against Western Conference teams.
The Mavericks are 8th in scoring, averaging 116.7 points per game this season. They rank 12th in rebounds, pulling down 44.8 per game, and 20th in assists with 25.6 per game. On the defensive end, they rank 12th in scoring defense, giving up 111.3 points per game.
Luka Doncic is the team's top player, averaging 28.1 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 7.8 assists per game this season. He remains out of the lineup due to injury. So does Kyrie Irving and Dante Exum. Daniel Gafford could be out tonight as well. He’ll be a game-time decision.
The Lakers are just 2-7 SU in the last nine games against Dallas. The Lakers are also just 2-10 ATS in the last 12 against the Mavs. LA is, however, 7-3 SU in its last 10 games and they have covered in 5 of the last 6. Dallas, playing without Doncic, is 0-5 SU and ATS in its last five games.
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COACH RICK FREE PICK:
DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH OVER 6.5 POINTS
Finney-Smith has played four games with the Lakers since being acquired from Brooklyn. He has increased his scoring total in each game. He’s playing a little over 23 minutes a game and he cleared this prop line in each of his last two games. For the season, including his time with the Nets, Finney-Smith averages 9.8 points per game. In his last 8 road games (including with the Nets), Finney-Smith has averaged 11.9 points per game and has gone Over this number in 7 of 8 games.
