Lakers: LA Scheduled to Face Kyrie Irving and the Mavericks Two More Times This Season
Your Los Angeles Lakers strike out on Kyrie Irving, and now he will make his way into the Western Conference and join the Dallas Mavericks.
The Lakers are currently the 13th seed in the Western Conference, and barring any trades, they could be stuck in a rut for the rest of the season.
Conversely, the Mavericks boosted their odds of winning the 2023 NBA title to +12000, having the eighth-best odds in the league.
The Mavericks and Lakers will meet each other two more times in the regular season, and we know Dallas looks different, but it’s unclear how different LA will or will not look after Thursday's trade deadline.
The Lakers and Mavericks have faced each other two times already, one time in Dallas and one in Los Angeles.
LA dropped its Christmas Day road matchup against Dallas after its ineffectual defense allowed the Mavericks to score 51 points in the third quarter, which proved to be the difference maker in the game.
Dallas stole the second matchup in double overtime after some controversial calls that the refs whiffed on, which otherwise would have benefited the Lakers.
Nonetheless, these upcoming matchups against the Mavs will be must-watch television. It’ll be interesting to see how Iriving and Luke fit together and if LA will finally want to win instead of being mediocre.
