Dallas at L.A. Lakers
Time: 8:30 PM CST (ESPN)
Spread: LAL -4.5
Total: 220.5
Odds c/o 5dimes
LAL NEWS & NOTES:
The Los Angeles Lakers are now 25-7. It is currently seated atop the Western Conference with a 2.5 game lead over the No. 2 seeded Denver Nuggets.
It appears the gamble to wager so much young talent to obtain Anthony Davis has paid off thus far. Davis leads the team in scoring, providing a powerful punch that LeBron James has done little more than feast from.
The Lakers rank No. 10 in the Association in scoring at 112.6 points per game while possessing a defense that limits teams to just 104.1 (+8.5 point differential). The Lakers also rank No. 6 in the league in assists per game as a team, tallying an impressive 26.2 per game.
James, of course, ranks highest in the assist category, even with the dime-dropping Rajon Rondo coming in to play alongside him. James is averaging 10.6 assists per game, to go with his 25.8 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.8 blocks/steals per game. Davis is leading the way with 27.7 points, 9.4 rebounds, and 3.3 assists while coming up with 1.4 steals and 2.6 blocks per contest.
The missing thing, if anything, has been the Kyle Kuzma that Los Angeles is used to seeing. Kuzma has played 20 games this season since returning from injury, but he has only started one of those. He averages just 23.1 minutes per game, and his shooting percentages are mediocre at 43 percent field goals and 36 percent triples. Kuzma averages the third-most of any Laker at 11.1 per game, but he really should be over at least 15 points per game. Avery Bradley is the No. 5 scorer at just under nine points per game, though Bradley is known to be a defensive pest and that is his primary focus while on the court.
Kuzma, meanwhile, is known to be a shooter but not really excelling in that lone aspect of his offense. Rondo, as mentioned, comes off the bench to play 21 minutes a game, picking up nearly six assists in those limited minutes. The biggest pleasant surprise has undoubtedly been Dwight Howard. While his numbers are far from eye-popping, he has embraced the role of a defensive-minded presence whose job is to protect the rim and grab boards.
Howard has averaged just under 20 minutes a game, providing just under seven points, seven rebounds and 1.3 blocks per game. He has rotated well on defense, communicated, and been something of a second-unit leader. The Lakers are pleased with their low-risk investment in Howard, which drew more than its fair share of criticism even though the Lakers were not contractually bound to the former three-time Defensive Player of the Year.
To be sure, he is not the “same guy” that averaged over 21 points per game for the Orlando Magic. That All-Star form is firmly in the past, but Howard’s defensive energy is partly responsible for the Lakers’ overall turnaround as a team on the defensive end. Davis is, naturally, an even bigger part of this picture, but the Lakers were expected to be a slow team on defense, and that has been nowhere close to true, even with Davis often playing the 4-spot.
In fact, so many things have fallen into place that other than getting better play out of its No. 3 scorer in Kuzma, it is hard to find any other areas of overt weakness in the Lakers approach thus far in 2019-20
DALLAS NEWS & NOTES:
The Dallas Mavericks have won two straight and is regaining its momentum with Luka Doncic back in the fold. Doncic sprained his ankle but made a fairly quick recovery, while also signing with Michael Jordan’s Jumpman sneaker line (for whatever that matters).
With Doncic out, the Mavericks got a good look at Kristaps Porzingis, who turned in another strong game in the Mavs’ loss to Boston. He tallied 23 points on 8 of 19 shooting to go along with 13 rebounds, three blocks, two assists, and a steal. Now is the time we see whether or not Kristaps still has cornerstone abilities. Seth Curry came off the bench to hit 8 of 13 including 4 of 8 from three for 20 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Curry is the most talented of the remaining backcourt players after Doncic, but Tim Hardaway Jr really should be doing far better in picking up the slack. He shot 4 of 17 from the field for 13 points in the loss to Boston. Dallas is just 8-7 at home this season.
On the season Porzingis is averaging 17.4 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, but all suggestions are that he was able to greatly increase his usage percentage with Doncic unavailable. The Mavericks need to get another guy to step up, because Doncic left a 29.3 point, 8.9 assist hole when he sprained his ankle. While he is expected to make a full recovery and is already back in triple-double form (!), the Mavs are still in overhaul replacing his production. Although the Doncic-Porzingis punch is a strong one, the Mavericks still seem to be lacking a “third star” to complete the picture.
