Lakers vs. Mavericks Game Preview: Stampeding Lakers look to trample Mavericks

The Los Angeles Lakers took care of business against the Phoenix Suns to extend their winning streak to three games, and now they’ll take a crack at a fourth with the Dallas Mavericks in town. Dirk Nowitzki is out and this is a team that has just one victory to its name on the year. Deron Williams will also sit out of the contest.

The Lakers will definitely miss Larry Nance, Jr., but they managed to close out the Suns without him Sunday and have plenty of tools at their disposal. Harrison Barnes is coming off of his second 30-plus point game of the season and will be the focus of the Mavericks’ offense. Luke Walton has a number of options to throw different looks at Barnes and the Lakers should be able to control this matchup.

D’Angelo Russell is struggling to find his shot to start the year, shooting just 35.6 percent from the field. He went just 2-for-11 against the Suns, his worst shooting performance of the year, but has a huge size advantage over J.J. Barea. It could be a great opportunity for him to center his efforts and put a solid game in his pocket.

The purple and gold are playing at the fastest pace in the NBA (105.25), looking like an entirely different squad as they successfully flee the bad vibes of last season. This is another proving victory this team needs to go out and take to solidify what they’ve accomplished thus far. They owe it to themselves to win this one. Enjoy the game, which has been wayyyy easier to do lately.

Time: 7:30 p.m. PT

TV: Spectrum SportsNet