Dallas Mavericks continue their push for a place in the play-in tournament as they go head-to-head with Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night.
With just four games left to go in the regular season, the Lakers know that they must avoid any slip-ups as they look to clinch automatic playoff qualification and gather momentum for an 18th championship charge.
Match preview
© Imago
The Dallas Mavericks dropped another game in their quest to secure post-season basketball as they fell to a 135-104 blowout defeat against the Los Angeles Clippers in the second of their two consecutive visits to the Intuit Dome last Sunday.
Anthony Davis led the visitors with 27 points and was one rebound shy of his 35th double-double of the season, but James Harden (29) and Kawhi Leonard (29) combined for 58 points while Ivan Zubac dropped a 25-point 10-assist double-double to fire the Clippers to a huge win.
Since claiming back-to-back victories over the Orlando Magic and Chicago Bulls in March, the Dallas Mavericks have lost three of their subsequent four games, suffering a 113-109 defeat against the Brooklyn Nets on April 1 before losing twice to the Clippers.
Jason Kidd's men now hold a 38-41 record from their 79 regular-season matches to sit 10th in the Western Conference standings, three wins above 11th-placed Phoenix Suns just outside the play-in tournament qualifying places.
© Imago
On the other hand, the Los Angeles Lakers continue to show their playoff credentials as they picked up a dominant 126-99 victory against Western Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday night.
The Lakers restricted OKC to 43% field goals at the PayCom Center, with MVP candidate Shai Gilgeous-Alexander failing to make a trip to the free-throw line and hitting 12 of his 23 shots from the field to finish with 26 points.
Six of the Lakers' players finished with double figures, led by Luka Doncic, who knocked down 30 points to go with six assists and seven rebounds, while LeBron James tallied 19 points and seven assists in 34 minutes of action.
JJ Redick's men have now won four of their most recent five matches — seeing off the likes of Memphis Grizzlies, Houston Rockets, New Orleans Pelicans and most recently the Thunder — with a 123-116 loss against the Golden State Warriors on April 4 being the exception.
With just four games to go, the Lakers sit third in the Western Conference standings with a 48-30 record from their 78 regular-season games, only two wins above the Minnesota Timberwolves just outside the automatic playoff places.
Next up for the Los Angeles Lakers is a trip to the American Airlines Center, where they have lost all but one of their most recent five visits, but they will be backing themselves to get the job done on Thursday, having won three of their last four games on the road since March 27.
- W
- W
- L
- W
- L
- L
- L
- W
- W
- L
- W
- W
Team News
© Imago
The Dallas Mavericks will be without several players down the spine of the team as Dante Exum (hand fracture), Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist) and Kyrie Irving Kyrie(knee) continue their spells on the sidelines.
Hardy Jaden missed Sunday's game against the Clippers through an ankle injury and is a doubt for the Mavericks while center Daniel Gafford is recuperating from a knee problem.
As for the Los Angeles Lakers, Redick will be unable to name veteran forward Maxi Kleber, who has been sidelined since February after undergoing surgery over a right foot injury.
Rui Hachimura will also sit out Wednesday's clash against the Oklahoma City Thunder through to a knee injury and is a major doubt for the trip to the American Airlines Center.
LeBron, Doncic, Gabe Vincent and Austin Reaves are all listed as questionable for the clash against OKC and will be assessed ahead of Thursday's game against the Mavericks.
Dallas Mavericks possible starting 5:
Thompson, Dinwiddie, Davis, Jones, Washington
Los Angeles Lakers possible starting 5:
Reeves, Doncic, Hayes, Hachimura, LeBron
We say: The Los Angeles Lakers to win by 5+ points.
Given the stakes of Wednesday's clash, we expect the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers to go all out at the American Airlines Center as they continue their quest for post-season basketball.
With the trill from their statement victory over Conference leaders Oklahoma City Thunder still lingering in the air, the Lakers will head into this one with sky-high confidence and we predict that they will come away with the desired result.
Joshua Ojele
