The holiday season often brings some of the best and most entertaining matchups in the NBA. While no teams play on Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Nov. 28, features an 11-game NBA Cup group stage slate.
One of the most intriguing matchups pits the Los Angeles Lakers at home against the Dallas Mavericks. Anthony Davis and Luka Dončić face their former squads after being traded for each other last season.
Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers Preview
The game is scheduled for 10:00 p.m. ET. Fans can tune in to this nationally televised contest, streaming on Prime Video. For those who want to experience the Crypto.com Arena atmosphere in person, tickets start as low as $124.
This game is the first of four matchups between the Lakers and Mavericks. Each squad has two home and road games for the season series. Every game will be nationally televised, highlighting the storylines that connect these two teams. The Dončić-Davis trade on Feb. 2 last season will forever link these two franchises.
Lakers’ Hot Start
The Lakers will likely be heavy favorites for this contest. They own a 12-4 record, sitting in third place in the Western Conference. Dončić and Austin Reaves started the season playing the best basketball of their careers. They missed four and three games in the second and third weeks of the season, respectively. However, their absences did not slow down Los Angeles. As a result, second-year head coach JJ Redick put himself in early Coach of the Year conversations.
In past seasons, the Lakers’ offense struggled when James was not on the floor. This is not the case in 2025. They rank second in the league in field-goal percentage at 50.6% LeBron James made his season debut last week after missing the first 14 games of the campaign due to sciatica. Gabe Vincent also returned to the rotation after a multi-week absence, so the Lakers, despite their strong start and injuries, will only get stronger.
Mavericks’ Cold Struggle
In contrast to Los Angeles, Dallas sits near the bottom of the Western Conference at 5-14. Only the New Orleans Pelicans own a worse record in the West. The injury bug bit them hard to start the season as well.
Davis played only five games before a calf injury sidelined him on Oct. 29. However, according to Marc Stein, the Mavericks’ star is scheduled to practice on Wednesday in preparation for a potential return against the Lakers on Friday.
Dereck Lively II appeared in just seven games. He underwent offseason foot surgery and is experiencing knee troubles. Stein reported on Nov. 25 that Dallas now fears “an extended injury absence” for Lively.
More from Dallas: It is feared that the Mavs face an extended injury absence for Dereck Lively II, @TheSteinLine has learned.
Held out Monday in Miami for right foot injury management, Lively has played in seven of 19 games after offseason foot surgery and a recent knee issue. https://t.co/yIPbWa7bQK
— Marc Stein (@TheSteinLine) November 25, 2025
Kyrie Irving is not set to return until the 2026 portion of the schedule after tearing his ACL last season. The Mavericks need to right the ship soon, or the team could explore selling at the trade deadline, shifting more toward a rebuild around rookie Cooper Flagg.
