Mavericks to cover against Lakers in Luka Doncic's homecoming

• What: NBA Picks
• Who: Dallas Mavericks vs Los Angeles Lakers
• When: Wednesday, April 9, 7:30 p.m.

Luka Doncic will return to Dallas on Wednesday night for the first time since the stunning blockbuster trade that sent him to the Lakers. While Los Angeles (48-30) prepares for the playoffs, the Mavericks (38-41) will have to compete in the Play-In Tournament for a spot in the postseason.

Jason Kidd's team has lost two-in-a-row and three of their last four contests, while the Purple & Gold are coming off back-to-back games against the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder.

Let's look at the latest betting lines for the game. Odds are subject to change.

	Spread	Money Line	Total Points
LA Lakers	-5.5 (-110)	-225	Un 228.5 (110)
Dallas Mavericks	+5.5 (-110)	+185	Ov 228.5 (-110)

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Mavericks vs Lakers Betting Trends

Dallas is a 5.5-point home underdog at American Airlines Arena, where they have a 21-7 record this season with a 19-19 mark against the spread. The Mavericks are 8-8 ATS as home underdogs and 23-27 versus conference opponents.

Since the Doncic deal, the Mavs have gone 12-18 while the Lakers are 20-11.

Sitting in 3rd place in the West, Los Angeles is 34-14 against conference opponents. However, they're only 18-20 on the road with a 5-10-2 ATS mark as away favorites.

The over/under for Wednesday's game is set at 228.5 points. The UNDER is 21-17 in Dallas home games this season, and the OVER is 20-18 when the Lakers are on the road.

Luka Doncic already has the most 30-PT games in a season by a Lakers guard since Kobe in 2013. pic.twitter.com/JbmgywXxtQ

— StatMamba (@StatMamba) April 6, 2025

Lakers with statement win

Luka Doncic registered 30 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in a 126-99 blowout win over the OKC Thunder on Sunday. The Lakers combined for 15 first-half 3-pointers against the Western Conference's No. 1 team.

In addition to the usual contributions from LeBron James, Austin Reaves has been incredible of late, averaging 24.6 points, 4.6 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 3.6 three-pointers over his last nine outings.

“As Austin Reaves continues to have big game after big game... it continues to be malpractice that Austin Reaves is still on the Lakers and not on the Mavericks,” said ESPN’s Brian Windhorst.

Dallas in the dumps

Anthony Davis is averaging 20.6 points, 9.6 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 1.7 blocks in the seven games he's played with Dallas. While the Mavericks are 5-2 with the big man in the lineup, they're still playing shorthanded with Kyrie Irving lost for the season to an ACL injury.

In his first matchup against his former club, Doncic dropped his first triple-double as a Laker (19 points, 15 assists and 12 rebounds) in a 107-99 victory. Let's see what the Slovenian superstar has in store in front of the home fans on Wednesday night.

ESPN’s Brian Windhorst went OFF on Dallas Mavericks GM Nico Harrison for trading Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers WITHOUT getting Austin Reaves in return in the Anthony Davis package 👀

“The Mavericks not getting Austin Reaves in that trade is malpractice. … The fact that… pic.twitter.com/UwKLbJnKg9

— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) April 8, 2025

Dallas Mavericks vs LA Lakers NBA Picks

While the Lakers are far and away the superior team, they're playing on back-to-back nights after a matchup with the top-seeded Thunder on Tuesday. Well rested after not playing a game since Saturday, and set to play in front of an electric crowd, we like the Mavericks to cover (+5.5) in Luka's homecoming with the UNDER (228.5).

Dallas Mavericks To cover vs LA Lakers

+5.5

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