LA could be healthier than it was on Monday.
Tonight, your Los Angeles Lakers will host Mark Cuban’s Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. It will be the second time these two teams face off this season, following last month’s Christmas Day Dallas beatdown of LA.
The team could be getting at least some reinforcements back after missing five rotation players Monday in a 122-109 loss to the Denver Nuggets.
LA looked like the walking wounded against a mostly-healthy Denver club Monday. Twas missing starters LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Lonnie Walker IV, along with key rotation players Austin Reaves and Troy Brown Jr. Starting “shooting” guard Patrick Beverley also left halfway through game with a right hip injury, though he will instead be absent tonight due to the non-COVID-19 illness that kept him out of practice yesterday.
1. What’s your starting lineup prediction?
Alex: Look for rookie Max Christie to get his second-ever starting nod, but this time at shooting guard. I’ll say Dennis Schröder, Christie, Brown, James, and Thomas Bryant for today’s starting five.
Noah: I agree with Alex. Dennis Schröder, Max Christie, Troy Brown Jr., LeBron James and Thomas Bryant. I like the lineup a lot.
2. Which non-Luka Doncic Mavs player should the Lakers be most worried about tonight?
Alex: Christian Wood. The Mavericks center scored 30 points against LA on 12-of-17 shooting (2-of-6 from deep), grabbed eight rebounds, showed off his passing touch with seven assists, swiped four steals and rejected two shots. Thomas Bryant could use some help covering Wood tonight. Perhaps it’s time for a little extended Wenyen Gabriel run.
Noah: Christian Wood is definitely the right answer. But for the sake of mixing it up, I’ll say Tim Hardaway Jr. He always seems to play well against the Lakers, and is a huge threat from deep, especially if he gets going. He’s averaging 14.3 points in 18 career games against the Lakers, and has scored double figures in eight of his last nine games, including 26 against the Lakers on Christmas Day.
3. Which non-Russell Westbrook Lakers bench player is mostly likely to score 10+ points tonight?
Alex: Sterling Brown. I was going to say Kendrick Nunn, but even typing that annoyed me. Brown needs to start producing if he hopes to stick around beyond this first 10-day contract with LA, and given that he is automatically one of the better long range shooters on the team, here’s hoping he gets cooking from long range tonight. In his three games with the club so far, Brown has failed to make a single shot, although he attempts just 1.3 takes a game.
Noah: I feel like the only real options are Kendrick Nunn and Wenyen Gabriel, and I feel more confident in Nunn (barely). He’s about as hot and cold as it gets, but I’m banking on one of those hot performances on Thursday. He’s coming off a 15-point performance in the last game, and has only scored double figures in back-to-back games twice this season. But hey, consider me optimistic.
4. What’s your bold prediction for tonight’s game?
Alex: LA needs to shoot way more three-pointers than it managed last time against the Mavericks (they took just 28, making nine). I’m going to bet that Darvin Ham knows that, and encourages letting it fly from deep. The team will take 40 treys. Whether it makes better than 32% of them is another matter.
Noah: LeBron James hasn’t suited up for the Lakers since Saturday, so he’s playing with a ton of rest. Thursday morning, it was announced that LeBron continues to lead all All-Star vote getters, and he’s going to prove why Thursday on national television against the Mavericks. LeBron is going to score 40 for the third time in five games, and continue to amaze fans in his age-38 season.
5. Can the Lakers avenge their Dallas defeat today at home?
Alex: Well, surely they can. But will they? No. The Mavericks have won seven of their last 10 games, and will be looking to get back on track after suffering two straight losses.
Noah: Clearly today’s a day of optimism for me, because I’m going to say yes. The Lakers remained very injury-riddled, but with LeBron back and on five days rest, I see him playing with an extra spring in his step. As you saw from my bold prediction, I’m expecting a big game from him. And the Lakers will need every single one of those 40 to finish off the upset victory.
