Dallas at L.A. Lakers
Time: 9:30 PM ET
TV: NBA TV
Spread: DAL -7.5
Total: 202

Betting odds c/o Bovada

The Mavericks enter tonight’s contest at Oracle Arena as 7.5 point favorites over the hapless L.A. Lakers. NBA live odds also list the total as 202. For an explanation of how to bet an over/under, see our NBA odds explained.

Dallas, perplexingly has not made the best use of Rajon Rondo. The long-time Boston Celtic is struggling to adjust to life in Dallas, averaging just 28 minutes per game while posting a PER nearly four points below the league average (just 11.2). He’s dishing out only 6.2 assists per game, the penchant of Rondo’s strong play is not being maximized. He’s clashed with coach Rick Carlisle and Amin El Hassan of ESPN said he just isn’t even a good fit in Dallas. Today, it was reported that Rondo is still open to re-signing with the Mavericks. We’ll see.

Part of Rondo’s issues are due to Monta Ellis. Ellis is a high usage guard dependent on having the ball in his hands to score. And because Ellis is the primary source of Dallas’ offense, it has proven counterproductive to overly rely on Rondo’s creation. Dirk Nowitzki can get his shot off without the help of either guard, and Chandler Parsons picks and chooses his spots to score without needing a lot of plays called either. Rondo had 10 points, nine assists and seven boards in the Mavs 94-75 loss to the Trail Blazers last night (Mar 5), though he did shoot just 5 of 13 from the field.

Tyson Chandler and Amar’e Stoudemire, too, can find plenty of opportunistic buckets. This basically renders it a power struggle between Ellis and Rondo in the backcourt, and Ellis has both tenure and the early successes of this season to rely on keeping his role within the offense. Rondo is still coming up with 1.32 steals in his 28 minutes a game, but it seems that Dallas is not really getting what it bargained for when the team added the All-Star into the mix.

Stoudemire has played very well the last three contests, hitting 16 of 25 from the floor for 12.6 points per game in 18.2 minutes per contest. This is the type of role the Mavericks had in mind when it claimed Stoudemire off waivers. He had 12 on 5 of 9 shooting in the loss Wed (Mar 6) to the Golden State Warriors. The Mavs got 14 from Rajon Rondo and Dirk Nowitzki, but the pair shot just 11 of 31 from the field and the Mavs hit just 36.8 percent from the floor as a team, struggling particularly in the second quarter when it scored just 16 points.

Small forward Chandler Parsons dubiously has been worth the contract he received, too, considering his play has still hovered at about average production for an NBA small forward. He’s also nursing a bone bruise on his left ankle which has held him out of the past two contests. He has missed seven straight games but is expected to return tonight against the Lakers. Devin Harris and J.J. Barea are both expected to play, despite both actually facing thumb injuries.

The Mavs are a strong team because it has a lot of depth and is well coached, but not because Nowitzki is the same player he was when the team won the 2010 Finals, nor because Ellis is capable of carrying a team through the postseason. In other words, there are a lot of questions that need to be answered in Dallas and it’s going to take more than a three-game win streak to inspire confidence in the loaded West. Defeating the Hawks tonight would be one bigger step towards doing so, but for a 39-20 team, it lacks a lot of the defining factors that seem to be indicative of championships squads.

The Lakers are 16-45 and have been without Kobe Bryant for the majority of the season. His career is in question, but what is not in question is that the Lakers are horrible. The team suffered its first big blow of the season when lottery pick Julius Randle tore his ACL, and Kobe Bryant’s persistent injuries are robbing the team of any chance it had to compete. Expectations were not set high for the Lakers this season, but now the team is primarily looking forward to the chance to add Jahlil Okafor of Duke should it land the No. 1 overall draft pick.

Okafor could change the fate of this franchise, and given Jordan Hill’s skill set, the two could potentially form a dominant 4/5 tandem for the Lakers. Carlos Boozer and Randle would round out a tough four-man rotation, and if Bryant returned to the fold, the playoffs would again be within reach for a team that has struggled to find much good in this season. Hill is averaging 12.4 points and eight boards per game, and Jeremy Lin has had a fair season with 10.9 points and 4.7 assists per game, but the Lakers lack young talent and Lin is a borderline starter at best, all things said and done. At this point, the Lakers best feature is marketability with both Lin and Bryant, China’s two most darling players.