In a game showcasing some of the league's biggest stars, our Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA player props based on the best NBA odds take a look at some role players ahead of Wednesday's Western Conference showdown.
The Los Angeles Lakers, who are just barely in the Play-In Tournament as the No. 10 seed, are hoping to get back to .500 when they host the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday. While the Lakers (20-21) have been using injuries as an excuse for their season getting derailed in December, the Mavericks (24-17) have overcome health issues to this point and are the No. 5 seed in the West.
Los Angeles switched back to its original starting lineup last time out, which led to a 112-105 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder. Can the Lakers put together a bit of a win streak, or will the Mavericks pull off a road victory as underdogs?
To go along with our Bucks vs. Cavaliers NBA player props, here are our best Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA player props and NBA picks (odds via our
best NBA betting sites; pick confidence based on a 1-to-5-star scale).
Mavericks vs. Lakers NBA player props
The Lakers switched to their new (old) lineup of D'Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves, Taurean Prince, LeBron James, and Anthony Davis against the Thunder. The motivation behind this move was to improve the results on the offensive end, as the Lakers rank 22nd in adjusted offensive efficiency midway through the regular season.
Another way to improve the offense is by giving more minutes to Christian Wood off the bench, something head coach Darvin Ham has opted to do this month. Wood is averaging 12.2 points in 19.5 minutes per game in January, clearing this mark in all six outings thus far.
This will be Wood's second chance at facing his former team, as he took just one shot in 15 minutes during the first revenge meeting on Nov. 22. Wood is averaging eight field g oal attempts per contest this month, and should be much more aggressive this time around.
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FanDuel is the only shop to offer props for Wood, which means it's the only place for an alternate line. In this case, we see enough value on both props to make two bets on the same player ahead of Wednesday's showdown.
NumberFire projects 10.9 points for Wood, showing as much faith in his recent form as we do. Wood has scored in double figures in five of his last six games, with the lone exception being a nine-point performance against the Los Angeles Clippers.
There are multiple avenues to Wood getting more of an opportunity on Wednesday. The Lakers could opt to play more two-big lineups with him and Davis, overwhelmin g a rookie-led frontcourt. There is also a chance the Mavericks win by a comfortable margin, giving Wood some extra minutes in the fourth quarter.
Either way, we like playing this +200 wager on Wood to reach double figures against a Dallas defense that ranks 25th in adjusted efficiency.
When we cashed our Joel Embiid first-quarter assists prop in Tuesday's best bets, I mentioned the importance of understanding rotation patterns. Jared Dubin wrote about when the NBA's stars play in this Substack post just a week ago, which is recommended reading for pregame and in-game prop bettors.
But understanding when role players are on the floor can be just as important. Amid all the lineup changes for the Lakers, wing Taurean Prince has been the one constant outside of Davis and James. Ham wants Prince to be on the floor to start the game, which explains why he is second on the team in first-quarter minutes at 8.6.
While Prince is averaging a modest 2.8 first-quarter points per contest, he has cleared this low mark in 56% of his games this season and four of his previous five outings. Against Dallas, Prince has scored nine total first-quarter points across two meetings.
We just need one triple for a player with a full-game line of 2.5 3-pointers. At -119, I'm willing to pay that price for the early sweat. Don't play anything worse than -120 for this wager.
Mavericks-Lakers NBA player props made Wednesday at 10:30 a.m. ET.
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