The NBA Cup schedule serves up a reunion with a twist on Friday night, as the struggling Dallas Mavericks walk into Crypto.com Arena to face a surging Los Angeles Lakers team now built around their former franchise cornerstone.
The records alone hint at the gulf between these Western Conference opponents: Los Angeles sits at 13–4 and rides a five‑game winning streak, while Dallas limps in at 5–14 with an offense that rarely looks comfortable for long stretches. Oddsmakers have taken note, installing the Lakers as double‑digit favorites in a matchup that looks, on paper, heavily tilted toward the home side.
Los Angeles vs. Dallas Prediction
If you’re not tuning into Luka Dončić against the Mavs, you’re not celebrating Black Friday correctly.
Sure, the general manager who traded him (Nico Harrison) has been fired, but we are talking about one of the best players in the game playing at an incredibly high level (33+ points in four straight with seven double-doubles this month) entering a revenge game against an overmatched 5-14 Dallas team that is all over the place from night to night.
This game figures to be more entertaining than competitive. Cooper Flagg is a work in progress, and Klay Thompson can get as hot as anyone for stretches, but over the course of 48 minutes, the home team should stretch their win streak to six straight without much worry.
LeBron James is playing in his fourth game of the season and appears to be ramped up. Could we get a vintage show from The King against a Mavs team that wants to dial up the pace and thus increase the possession count?
The Lakers have three players who are on triple-double watch and one who is out for blood as he works to become the face of the league and make his former team pay. Dallas keeps it tight early, but loses touch in the second half.
Prediction: Lakers win this one 126-107
Lakers vs. Mavericks Injury Report
Lakers
- Marcus Smart: Questionable (Back)
- Deandre Ayton: Probable (Knee)
Mavericks
- Dante Exum: Out For Season (Knee)
- Dereck Lively II: Out (Foot)
- Kyrie Irving: Out (Knee)
- Anthony Davis: Questionable (Calf)
Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II remain out, as does Dante Exum, trimming ball‑handling, rim protection, and veteran steadiness from a rotation that could badly use all three. Anthony Davis is listed as questionable with a calf issue, and his potential return after a month on the shelf would give the Mavericks an interior anchor they have lacked, both as a rim protector and as a release valve for a cramped half‑court offense.
Remember, this is also a revenge game for Davis, and he has made it clear that he wants to face his former team. Even if he does suit up, conditioning and rhythm will be question marks, and Dallas would still be asking a lot from an injury-prone player who’s working his way back into game form.
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The Lakers, for their part, are managing a shorter injury list. Marcus Smart is questionable with a back injury and Deandre Ayton is probable with a knee concern, but the frontcourt depth has showed some potentially lately. Jaxson Hayes has made 11-of-13 shots over his past four games and while he’s not a replacement, hes been better than expected. With Rui Hachimura shooting north of 56% from the field and near 50% from three, Los Angeles can stretch Dallas’ bigs horizontally while still pounding the glass enough to offset the Mavericks’ own strong rebounding numbers.
Lakers vs. Mavericks Game Preview
Los Angeles is playing its best basketball of the season, going 8–2 over its last 10 contests and covering the spread in seven of those games. During that stretch, Lakers games have averaged just over 231 combined points, thanks to a top‑15 offense that puts up 118.3 points per night while still holding opponents to 114.8.
They have already gone over the posted total in every home game this season and have been particularly dominant when crossing the 115‑point threshold, posting a 12–0 record both straight up and against the spread when they do.
The engine of that surge is Dončić, who has turned the Lakers’ attack into one of the league’s most potent units. He averages 35.2 points, 9.2 assists, and 8.8 rebounds per game, and is coming off a 43‑point, 13‑rebound, nine‑assist performance in a 135–118 dismantling of the Clippers — his sixth 40‑plus outing of the young season.
Around him, Austin Reaves has blossomed into a bona fide co‑star at 27.9 points per game, while Ayton, Hachimura, and a deep supporting cast supply efficient finishing, rebounding, and floor spacing that leave defenses picking their poison.
Dallas is in a far different place, with two straight losses and a broader 3–7 slide over its last 10 games, even while going a respectable 5–5 against the spread over that span. The Mavericks average just 109.5 points per game, second‑fewest in the league, a figure that falls more than eight points shy of Los Angeles’ output and sits 5.3 points below the Lakers’ defensive average. When Dallas does manage to push past 114.8 points, it looks more competitive, going 3–1 overall in those rare outbursts, but consistent shot creation has been a glaring problem.
The roster composition explains much of the strain. Flagg has been thrown into a primary scoring role, posting 15.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 3.1 assists per game on solid efficiency — a promising line that nonetheless underscores how much responsibility he carries at this stage.
How to Watch Lakers vs. Mavericks: Start Time and TV Channel
- Game day: Friday, November 28, 2025
- Game time: 10 p.m. ET
- TV channel: Amazon Prime Video
- Location: Los Angeles, California
- Arena: Crypto.com Arena
