Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks Prediction, 4/5/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Los Angeles Lakers vs Dallas Mavericks

Date: Sunday, April 5, 2026

Location: American Airlines Center in Dallas, TX

TV: NBC

American Airlines Center is the location where the Dallas Mavericks (24-52) will try to beat the Los Angeles Lakers (50-27) on Sunday.

The Lakers faced off with the Thunder and ended up losing by a score of 139-96 in their last contest. In regard to fouls, the Lakers ended up with 20 while the Thunder accounted for 19 fouls. They also made 19 of 42 attempts from distance. Oklahoma City finished the game shooting 76.9% from the free throw line by burying 10 of 13 attempts. Furthermore, Oklahoma City grabbed 48 rebounds (9 offensive, 39 defensive) and had 8 rejections. Oklahoma City doled out 29 dimes and had 7 steals for this contest. In regard to defense, Los Angeles allowed the other team to shoot 53.9% from the field on 55 of 102 shooting. They also recorded 22 assists in this game while forcing 15 turnovers and earning 8 steals. In reference to grabbing rebounds, they earned a total of 40 with 5 of them being offensive. From the free throw line, the Lakers made 21 of their 27 shots for a percentage of 77.8%. Los Angeles ended the game having earned a 43.0% field goal percentage (34 out of 79) and buried 7 of their 30 shots from distance.

Austin Reaves is one guy who had an impact in this contest. Reaves walked away from this one shooting 55.6% from the floor and earned 1 assist. He played 27 minutes and snagged 4 rebounds. He ended up finishing with 15 points on 5 of 9 shooting.

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Los Angeles comes into this one with a win-loss record of 50-27 for the season. They have an average of 116.5 points per contest (12th in basketball) while hitting 50.1% from the floor. The Lakers are shooting 35.6% on 3-point shots (914 of 2,565) and 76.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Los Angeles is pulling down 41.0 boards per game and has accounted for 1,959 dimes for the campaign, which is 18th in the league in terms of passing. They turn it over 14.4 times per game and as a basketball team they are committing 18.6 fouls on a nightly basis.

On the defensive end, the Lakers are forcing 14.6 turnovers every game while drawing 21.3 fouls. They are giving up 35.4% on 3-point attempts and they are 12th in the league in points per game allowed (115.0). The Lakers are allowing an opponent shooting percentage of 48.4% (3,286 of 6,792) and they surrender 40.9 rebounds per game as a unit. They are ranked 24th in the league in giving up assists to the opposition with 2,128 surrendered for the season.

When they last stepped on the court, the Mavericks took a loss by a final score of 123-99 against the Bucks. The Mavericks were able to corral 27 defensive boards and 7 offensive boards for a total of 34 in the matchup. They turned the ball over 21 times, while recording 7 steals in this matchup. The Bucks committed 22 fouls for the matchup which got the Mavericks to the free throw line for 28 shots. They were able to knock down 21 of the free throws for a clip of 75.0%. In terms of three-point shots, Dallas converted 10 out of 36 attempts (27.8%). When all was said and done, the Mavericks shot 34 for 96 from the floor which had them at 35.4%. The Mavericks permitted the Bucks to bury 41 out of their 92 tries from the floor which gave them a shooting percentage of 44.6% for this contest. They finished 37.0% from 3-point land by shooting 20 out of 54 and ended up shooting 21 out of 26 at the free throw line (80.8%). Concerning cleaning up the glass, Dallas permitted Milwaukee to grab 35 in all (14 on the offensive side).

Cooper Flagg was important for the Mavericks in this matchup. Flagg accumulated 19 points in his 32 minutes on the court and accounted for 3 assists in the game. He converted 6 out of 19 in this matchup for a rate of 31.6%, and had 10 rebounds.

Dallas has a mark of 24-52 for the year. As an offensive unit, the Mavericks are hitting on 46.7% from the floor, which has them ranked 15th in the NBA. Dallas has accumulated 8,618 pts on the campaign (113.4 per game) and they pull in 44.7 rebounds per contest. They are assisting teammates 25.2 times per game (23rd in the league) and they lose possession via turnover 14.8 times per game. The Mavericks have committed 18.2 personal fouls every game while shooting 74.7% from the free throw line.

The Mavericks on the defensive side of the court are 23rd in the NBA in PPG allowed with 119.1. They are forcing 13.4 TO's per game and have let teams shoot 47.6% from the floor (20th in the league). The Dallas defense gives up 34.9% on shots from distance (977 of 2,801) and their opposition makes 76.7% of their shots from the free throw line. They have surrendered 28.3 dimes and 46.7 rebounds every game, which is ranked 27th and 29th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Los Angeles

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