A couple of marquee names will be off the court during Thursday night’s NBA bout between the Mavericks and Lakers.
A hamstring strain will sideline Luka Doncic against his former team, while the new big name in Dallas, Cooper Flagg, also won’t play with a foot strain.
That’s bad news for the Mavericks, who have been enjoying an amazing hot streak from their star rookie of late. He’s averaging 20.4 points and 6.6 rebounds per game.
With Anthony Davis out of town and Kyrie Irving still sidelined, Dallas will likely put the ball in the hands of P.J. Washington, who has thrived without his superstar teammates on the court in the past.
Last time Flagg was out with an injury Jan. 28 against the Timberwolves, Washington had one of his best games of the season, scoring 21 points in the 118-105 home loss.
He put up a team-high 20 shots, meaning we could be in for a volume shooting night from the forward in both teams’ final game of the first half.
As a whole, the Mavericks have played at a high-scoring, fast pace with Flagg sidelined this season, averaging 124.5 points in four contests.
Betting on the NBA?
The points will have to come from somewhere.
Look for Washington to be the guy for Dallas (19-34) in this short-handed battle in Los Angeles before the NBA All-Star break.
The Lakers (32-21) are eight-point favorites at bet365 for this game, with the total set at 234 points.
The play: P.J. Washington Over 14.5 points (+100, bet365 Sportsbook).
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Dylan Svoboda is a versatile writer and analyst across many sports. He’s particularly knowledgeable about the big three — MLB, the NFL and the NBA.