Mavericks vs. Lakers Prediction, Odds & Best Bet for December 25 (Dallas Sends Fans Home Happy on Christmas Day)

Mavericks vs. Lakers Game Info

• Date: Sunday, December 25, 2022
• Time: 2:30 PM ET
• Venue: American Airlines Center -- Dallas, Texas
• Coverage: ABC and ESPN

The 2022-23 NBA season continues on Sunday with five more games, including a battle between the Los Angeles Lakers and Dallas Mavericks. The Lakers rank 13th in the Western Conference with a 13-19 record, while the Mavericks check in eighth with a 17-16 record. This one may go down to the wire.

Los Angeles saw its losing streak extend to three game after falling short in a 134-130 loss to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. Meanwhile, Dallas took down the Houston Rockets, 112-106, on Friday to earn its third win in its last five games. Which playoff hopeful in the West wins on Christmas Day?

Mavericks vs. Lakers Odds & Spread

Mavericks vs Lakers Betting Information

Favorite	Spread	Favorite Spread Odds	Underdog Spread Odds	Total	Over Total Odds	Under Total Odds	Favorite Moneyline	Underdog Moneyline
Mavericks	-8	-	-	226	-110	-110	-300	245

• All NBA betting lines, odds and prop bets are from FanDuel Sportsbook.
• Moneyline: DAL: (-310) | LAL: (+250)
• Spread: DAL: -8 (-110) | LAL: +8 (-110)
• Total: 229 -- Over: (-110) | Under: (-110)

The Mavericks enter this contest as clear home favorites on the moneyline and spread per FanDuel Sportsbook's odds. This 2:30 p.m. ET clash also features an over/under of 229 points, which is about average compared to Sunday's projected totals.

Mavericks vs. Lakers Betting Trends

• The Mavericks covered 46 times in 82 matchups with a spread last season.
• The Lakers went 6-3 as underdogs of 8 points or more last season.
• The Mavericks and their opponents combined to go over the point total 31 out of 82 times last season.
• Last season, 47 of the Lakers' 82 games hit the over.

Mavericks vs. Lakers Prediction & Pick

News broke on Friday that Anthony Davis will be out indefinitely due to a stress fracture in his foot. It's not hard to understand that his absence will be a hindrance to the Lakers. Davis was averaging 27.4 points as well as 12.1 rebounds per game before going down and was menacing man in the paint.

It leaves the Lakers with little depth outside of LeBron James, which is scary considering the Mavs rank seventh in defensive efficiency during home games. Dallas allows only 105.4 points per game at American Airlines Center (No. 3 in NBA) and forces 15.4 turnovers per home game (T-No. 10 in NBA).

Dallas is 4-1 straight up in its last five games against LA. I expect the Mavericks to get the job done.

Final Score Prediction: Mavericks: 120 | Lakers: 108

Mavericks vs. Lakers Best Bet

Not only are the Lakers 1-4 straight up in their last five games against the Mavericks, but they are also 0-5 against the spread (ATS) during that span. Those four outright losses came by an average of 10.8 points, too. Keep in mind the Lakers also enter this game 1-4 ATS in their last five games overall.

When a slumping team goes on the road to face a rising team, things do not tend to go well. Dallas has emerged victorious in 11 of its last 15 home games. That run includes crushing wins by more than 15 points against the Phoenix Suns and Portland Trail Blazers. The Lakers will not size up.

Bet: Dallas Mavericks -8 (-110)

Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel. 

Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.