In the final NBA showdown before the all-star break, the Los Angeles Lakers host the Dallas Mavericks.
The pregame narrative: Neither Cooper Flagg nor Luka Doncic will play on Thursday night, but that still leaves the Lakers at an advantage. Dallas has lost eight in a row and is an 8-point underdog at Crypto.com Arena.
Check out my Mavericks vs. Lakers SGP predictions, featuring prop bets on LeBron James and Max Christie.
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Mavericks vs. Lakers SGP
SGP: Lakers -5.5 | LeBron 20+ points | Christie 3+ threes (+335)
Lakers -5.5 (-235): When it comes to bringing their A-game, the Lakers tend to pick their spots.
L.A. has covered in eight straight games as a favourite and is 21-10 ATS overall when laying points. Conversely, the Lakers are on a 10-game ATS losing skid as underdogs.
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There are big-name absences on both sides in this matchup, but only one side is trying to hollow out with an eye toward a loaded NBA lottery — and it’s not L.A.
With neither LeBron nor Austin Reaves on the injury report, the Lakers are guaranteed to have more high-end skill on the court tonight.
Also, L.A. covered this number in both prior matchups vs. Dallas this season.
NBA SGP pick
Christie 3+ threes (-113): Christie is somewhat forgotten when people think back to last year’s seismic trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Lakers.
But unlike Anthony Davis — who struggles to stay on the court and has already been subsequently traded — Christie is flashing some real value for the Mavericks.
L.A.’s second-round draftee in 2022 is having his best season yet, which includes averaging 13.4 points and shooting 42.5% from 3-point range.
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In 40 starts this season, Christie is averaging 2.6 made 3s and is 21-19 vs. this prop.
The Lakers are a great team for Christie to do damage against based on two factors:
- They allow the eighth-highest opponent 3PT% in the NBA (36.6).
- Christie is 2-0 vs. this prop when facing L.A. this season, shooting 7-for-18 from deep in those games.
Top LeBron prop bet
LeBron 20+ points (-335): We’ll go out with what should be a soft landing, as LeBron is in his 23rd consecutive season averaging north of 20.0 PPG.
The King is 4-1 vs. this prop without Doncic this season and has hit this scoring milestone in five of his past six games overall.
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Reaves could be back in the starting lineup tonight in his fifth game back following a calf injury. But there should be plenty of buckets for both stars.
With AD out the door and Flagg now on the shelf, Dallas is a shell of itself defensively.
Mavericks vs. Lakers SGP made at 9:55 a.m. on Feb. 12, 2026.
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Jordan enjoys writing data-driven game previews and analysis articles — especially for MLB markets or NFL/NBA props. And as a proud Ohio University grad, he’ll always have a soft spot for college sports (especially if the Bobcats are involved). Previous stops include mlb.com, Sportsnet and The Athletic.