Dallas vs LA Lakers Prediction: the Visitors' Defense is Pure Trouble

The second game of the Christmas pool will take place in Dallas, where Luka Doncic's Mavericks will host LeBron James' Lakers. Who will be stronger in this game? 

Ahead of the game against Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas had an away series that ended 2-2. First, Jason Kidd's team could not beat Cleveland (99-100), then lost to Minnesota (106-116). They took revenge on the Timberwolves (104-99) and then finished their tour with a 112-106 win over Houston in the Texas Derby. Quite the successful 2-2 for the road series. Dallas is going 17-16 and still only eighth in the Western Conference standings. 

With Anthony Davis out due to another injury, Los Angeles Lakers began to lose again. Not even phenomenal LeBron James's helped the Lakers. After losing to Phoenix (104-130), they failed to Sacramento (120-134, Lebron had 31 points and 11 assists) and Charlotte (130-134, Lebron had 34 points and eight assists). Clearly, with such defense, it won't be easy to even count on a play-in. LAL is now 13-19 overall and 13th in the Western Conference standings. 

The last time the rivals met on Christmas Day was in 2020. Back then, the Lakers confidently outscored Dallas 138-115. Given the current state of the Lakes, it's unlikely that history will repeat itself. More likely, it will be the other way around. With Anthony Davis, the Lakers are better on defense, and there's a lot of doubt that they'll stop Luka Doncic and his teammates.

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