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Luka Doncic faces his former team Tuesday night in the most highly anticipated NBA game of the season.
The Lakers, off the heels of a shockingly dominant victory over the Denver Nuggets, are massive 9.5-point favorites over the Mavericks at ESPN BET.
It’s safe to say that Doncic is prepared for a little sweet revenge on his ex-team that has taken pop shots at him every opportunity on his way out.
The General Manager, Nico Harrison, and the team owner, Patrick Dumont, have voiced their concerns about his poor defensive skills and his struggle to maintain fitness. They noted that at one stage this season, he tipped the scales at 270 lbs.
Doncic looked phenomenal Sunday when he scored 32 points to go along with 10 rebounds and seven assists in 31 minutes in a 123-100 victory over the Nuggets.
Could he explode Tuesday in the marquee game of the day against his old teammates?
Mavericks vs. Lakers odds
| Team | Spread | Moneyline | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mavericks | +9.5 (-110) | +310 | Over 232.5 (-110) |
| Lakers | -9.5 (-110) | -385 | Under 232.5 (-110) |
Mavericks vs. Lakers prediction
Nearly all of the Mavericks are injured going into Tuesday night.
Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, and Derek Lively are all out, while PJ Washington and Dwight Powell are game-time decisions.
LeBron James is also a game-time decision, but we’d certainly expect him to play.
What I think is the most interesting is Doncic’s running mate, Kyrie Irving, who should be prepared to take on a massive role as the Dallas point guard and lone primary scoring option
Washington is essentially Dallas’ No. 2 scorer at this point, and even he is questionable Tuesday, so this is a squash spot for Irving to try and keep Dallas afloat.
As a member of the Mavericks, Irving has averaged 26.7 points per game in games that Doncic missed, which is most of this season.
Irving has played in 24 games without Doncic, going Over his point total (25.5, 120, DraftKings) 13 times.
Betting on the NBA?
Irving has gone Over 34.5 points in seven of those games (29.17 percent hit rate), with his odds of doing so vs. the Lakers coming in at +475 (17.39 percent odds implied).
That gives us a solid 12 percent edge based on his past performance and even though the Lakers defense is No. 1 in the NBA over the past 15 games, we can expect some added effort from Irving in a game he plays two of his former running mates.
PICK: Kyrie Irving Over 25.5 points (-120, DraftKings) | 35+ (+475)
Why Trust New York Post Betting
Erich Richter is a brazilian jiu-jitsu blue belt but he has a black belt in MMA betting. During the football season he’s showcased massive profits at The Post in the player prop market the last two seasons. While constantly betting long shots, his return on investment is 30.15 percent since 2022.
