The Lakers will continue their home stint as they host the Dallas Mavericks for an NBA Cup game on Friday. This is the third time Luka Dončić will face his former team since being traded to the purple and gold last February.
Start time and TV schedule
Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks
When: 7 p.m. PT, Nov. 28
Where: Crypto.com Arena
Watch: Prime Video
What was supposed to be a vital NBA Cup game has now turned into pretty much a inconsequential one simply because the Lakers have clinched their spot in the knockout round
thanks to a dominant victory against the L.A. Clippers on Tuesday. It also helps that the Dallas Mavericks (1-2) have only won one game in the tournament and have a point differential of -18, which automatically eliminates them from qualifying for the next round.
Still, NBA Cup games are considered regular season games so this is an important one for Los Angeles, which is currently on a five-game winning streak. They stumble upon a Mavericks team that’s slowly getting healthy with Anthony Davis — who is listed as questionable after missing the last 14 games — possibly playing in this one. That’s not a surprise knowing how competitive AD is, something we’ve come to know over the last five years.
But with all due respect to the former Lakers champion, this should be a winnable game for the Lakers. The Mavericks are bad to the point that they have the worst offensive rating (105.0) in the association. They stay relatively competitive with their defense, which actually ranks third best (110.3) in the league. The Lakers, led by Dončić — who is definitely approaching this one with more motivation — will have to expose their putrid offense focused around rookie Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and, of course, AD.
The Lakers’ offense has gone up to another level since LeBron James’ return. That’s saying something considering they were already impressive before their superstar was cleared to play. The thing about this Lakers’ offense is that it’s unpredictable. There are games when they get contributions across the board and ones where they’re led by their big three. The common denominator, though, is the high level scoring of Dončić, who is averaging career high 35.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.2 assists this season.
The thought of Luka currently playing his best basketball and about to face the team that betrayed him makes this alone a must-watch game. That’s how these matchups have felt since the trade of the century and likely how it’ll feel for years to come.
Hopefully, the results continue being that the Lakers win. Let’s see if that’s the case again on Friday.
Notes and Updates
- With this being the last week of the group play stage, here’s what to take note of across the league.
- For the injury report, the Lakers have now upgraded Deandre Ayton (right knee contusion) — who missed last game — to probable.
- However, there’s also been an addition with Marcus Smart (back spasms) noted as questionable.
- As for the Mavericks, Anthony Davis (left calf strain) is questionable.
- Dante Exum (right knee injury management), Kyrie Irving (left knee surgery) and Dereck Lively II (right foot injury management) are out.
You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.
