Dallas Mavericks look to take down struggling Lakers in LA

The Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are set to play each other for the first time this season tonight on Halloween. Which team will get the win and who will continue to struggle?

The NBA season has only just begun, but many people are panicking based on the early results from their teams. The Houston Rockets are 1-5, the Oklahoma City Thunder are 2-4 and the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers are both 2-5. Three of these teams are widely expected to be playoff teams. The fourth expects more from its fanbase.

The Mavericks and Lakers are set to play each other on Halloween night to see which team can scare its fanbase more. There is no doubt that the Lakers are the favorite in this game as LeBron James still proves day after day to be just as dominant as he ever was. That will be the Mavs key to success is limiting his opportunities.

Outside of LeBron, the Lakers have a lot of disjointed talent, including: Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson, JaVale McGee, Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Kyle Kuzma, Josh Hart and some others. Essentially all of these players have the abilities to go off on any given night, but my guess is that Brandon Ingram and Kuzma are the ones to keep an eye on.

The Mavs, on the other hand, are enjoying a nice little stint of seeing rookie Luka Doncic explode onto the scene. In Monday night’s game against the San Antonio Spurs, Luka dropped 31 points, one of the best performances we have seen from a Mavs player in years.

The obvious matchup everyone will be looking for is how Doncic does vs. and in front of his idol, James. The two will likely not be guarding each other for any major stretch of the game, but having each player on the court together will make the game more interesting and exciting.

It would have been extra fun to see Dirk Nowitzki out there with the guys, especially since he and LeBron are so close in total career points, but it wasn’t meant to happen this time. Dirk will get another chance to play LeBron before the end of the year. Both should be past Wilt Chamberlain by then.

Keep an eye out for the matchup between Lonzo Ball and Dennis Smith Jr. as well. Both players were taken in the top 10 of last year’s draft and each one still has a lot to prove before they can be deemed a draft success. Both are trending in the right direction, however.

The Mavericks and Lakers will be tipping off in a late night, west coast game at 9:30pm central time. The game will be played in Los Angeles where the Mavs look to snag their first road win of the season.