NBA: Lakers at Mavs
Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 9:05 ET (Broadcast on NBA TV)
Lakers try to bounce back from loss vs. Mavs
LAKERS: Los Angeles suffered their 1st loss since the All-Star game against Miami in their last game. The Lakers aren't likely to be in a good mood today, especially when you factor in that they've lost to Dallas in their only meeting this season. Los Angeles is ultimately trying to pass Dallas for the 2nd best in the Western Conference. The Lakers are 46-20 SU and 32-33-1 ATS overall this year. Los Angeles is 24-12 SU and 20-16 ATS in road games this season. The Lakers are 2-2 ATS as a road underdog this year. G Kobe Bryant is averaging team highs of 25.1 PPG and 4.8 APG this season. F Pau Gasol is averaging 18.6 PPG and a team high 10.4 RPG this year. Los Angeles will look to neutralize Dirk Nowitzki with their ever improving defense tonight. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against a team with a winning SU record. Los Angeles is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 road games. The Lakers are 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games playing on 1 days rest. Los Angeles is 12-3 ATS in their last 15 Saturday games. The Lakers are 8-2 ATS in their last 10 road games against a team with a home winning percentage greater than .600%. Los Angeles is 7-2 ATS in their last 9 games overall.
Lakers are 7-0 ATS last 7 games against the Western Conference. Over is 5-1 last 6 games following a SU loss.
Injuries: C Andrew Bynum (ankle) is probable.
Kobe's post-game shooting doesn't impress Phil Jackson [LA Times]
MAVERICKS: (-1.5, O/U 193) Dallas has already beaten the Lakers once this year SU, at home as a 3 point home underdog. Tonight's meeting is a 4.5 point swing from their first meeting, proving how Dallas has improved while the Lakers have declined in both oddsmakers and the general public's eye. Dallas is currently 1.5 game ahead of Los Angeles for the 2nd best record in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are 47-18 SU and 35-28-2 ATS overall this season. Dallas is 24-9 SU and 15-16 ATS at home this year. The Mavericks are 2-0 ATS as a home favorite of 3 points or fewer this season. F Dirk Nowitzki is averaging a team high 23 PPG this year, while shooting a remarkable 52.8% from the field. G Jason Terry is averaging 16.4 PPG and 4.3 APG this year for Dallas. The Mavericks are 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games following a SU win of more than 10 points. Dallas is 5-1 ATS in their last 6 games against the NBA Pacific. The Mavericks are 8-3-1 ATS in their last 12 home games against a team with a road winning percentage greater than .600%. Dallas is 1-4 ATS in their last 5 games as the listed favorite. The Mavericks are 0-4 ATS in their last 4 games after scoring 100 points or more in their previous game.
Mavericks are 9-3 ATS last 12 games following an ATS win. Over is 11-1 last 12 games against the Western Conference.
Injuries: F Dirk Nowitzki (ankle) is probable.
Why Lakers game counts more for Dallas [Dallas Morning News]
Projected Score: Mavs 99, Lakers 91
Comment . . .
What do you consider the key handicapping factors in this game?