Love Fest for Luka
Luka Doncic returns to Dallas for the first time since being traded to the Lakers and it is not a surprise to see him sitting atop the projected player points for tonight. The crowd is expected to show the former Mav a lot of love in his first return as a competitor in front of his former supporters.
On the other side of that trade was Anthony Davis whose projected player points are second highest behind Luka in tonight’s matchup. I’m not a body language or mental health expert, so please keep this in mind as you read the remainder of this writeup. This trade, which I am on record as saying was terrible, was not close to even. I’m not referring to what each team got in return from the other, which is how most trades are “graded.” I’m actually referring to the fact that the Lakers’ fanbase is extremely excited to have Luka joining them while the Mavs’ fanbase is fractured and still a bit salty about losing Luka and only gaining AD. That is a tough spot to manage as a professional athlete. Add in that the Lakers have looked better and have moved into third in the West while the Mavs have lost fan favorite Kyrie Irving for the season and are hanging on to the final play-in spot in the West.
That’s a lot for any individual player to handle.
But, in my opinion, the silver lining is here. Tonight’s matchup is bigger than just the game. It is a moment. It is a moment that will be etched into the minds of Mavs fans for some time. If AD and the Mavs can find a way to own the moment tonight, it could go a long way towards starting the healing process for the fans. It won’t be everything, but it would be a major help.
However, if Luka comes back into Dallas and lights up the Mavs, that could serve as a major blow and it wouldn’t surprise me to see the fans take their frustrations back to social media and call for some heads to roll.
This has become one of the biggest games in Big D in quite some time. Let’s see who is ready to own the moment.
NBA Betting:
Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavs
Spread
Lakers -5 (-105) WINNER
Mavs +5 (-111)
Total
Over 229 (-108)
Under 229 (-108) WINNER
Moneyline
Lakers (-215) WINNER
Mavs (+187)
Player Points
Luka Doncic Over 30.5 (-115)
Anthony Davis Under 26.5 (-118)
LeBron James Over 23.5 (-111)
Austin Reaves Under 19.5 (+102)
P.J. Washington Under 14.5 (-115)
Klay Thompson Under 12.5 (-111)
Rui Hachimura Over 12.5 (-104)
Spencer Dinwiddie Under 12.5 (-125)
Naji Marshall Over 11.5 (-128)
Daniel Gafford Over 9.5 (-106)
Dorian Finney-Smith Under 7.5 (-115)
Max Christie Over 7.5 (-104)
Jaxson Hayes Under 6.5 (-122)
Double Result
Lakers / Lakers (-115) WINNER
Mavs / Mavs (+260)
Mavs / Lakers (+500)
Lakers / Mavs (+700)
Tie / Lakers (+3300)
Tie / Mavs (+4500)
