The Mavericks will host the Lakers Saturday night, much to the chagrin of the Dallas residents who have to brave the cold and ice to see Luka Doncic play. Dallas is hot! They have won four in a row and five
of their last six games. The Lakers, however, are struggling. They are 3-6 in their last nine games and, if you pay attention to the online discourse, are one of the worst “vibes” teams in the league. Doncic famously killed Dallas in his return in April, but this time around, I am not sure the Lakers have enough firepower to supplement the emotion this game will have. The Mavericks have a great chance to win their fifth in a row.
Before getting into our picks, here is how we stand so far:
Last week’s results
Tyler: 3-1 (+$263)
David: 3-0 (+$286)
Season to date
Tyler: 17-26-0 (-$772)
David: 25-17-0 (+$933)
Even though Tyler is still negative on the season, we are heating up as the weather cools down.
Game Details
Fixture: Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers | NBA 2025-2026
Date and Time: Saturday, January 24th, 2026; 7:40 PM CST
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX.
Odds up to date as of 12:00 PM CST from FanDuel
Game Lines
Spread Mavericks +3.5 (-108)
Total O/U 233.5 (-110/-110)
Moneyline Mavericks +146
Tyler’s Plays
- Cooper Flagg over 29.5 points + rebounds + assists (-110)
- Luka Doncic to score 12+ points in the first quarter (+118)
- Over 233.5 points (-110)
Luka’s going to come out gunning, so let’s capitalize with a 12+ point quarter at plus money. In their first matchup against each other in Dallas, I expect Cooper Flagg to meet the moment and deliver a great all-around game. Finally, neither team has been guarding lately, so let’s go over the total.
David’s Plays
- Luka Doncic to score 35+ points (+120)
- Naji Marshall to score 20+ points (+122)
- Max Christie to make 3+ threes (+100)
Luka will torch this Mavericks defense. Conversely, Marshall is a matchup nightmare for a Lakers team with no paint defense and no perimeter physicality. Christie will benefit from the penetration Dallas will get and have plenty of open looks.
Squad Ride
- Mavericks to win (+146)
The Mavericks are probably not a good team. But they are playing very well, and the Lakers are not. Plus, there is motivation for the Dallas guys to show the fans that they don’t need Luka (we still do). We love the Mavericks to pull off another primetime upset.
