Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers: 3 Big Things to Watch

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks look to avoid an 0-2 trip to LA as they take on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday.

The Dallas Mavericks (23-19) are in Hollywood taking on LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers (19-22) in a star-studded TNT matchup on Thursday night.

Dallas is coming off a 113-101 loss on Tuesday night against the Los Angeles Clippers. It was the Mavs' second consecutive loss.

The Clippers blitzed the Mavs in the first half, including a 38-22 advantage in the second quarter to take a 22-point lead into halftime. 

Luka Doncic got hot in the second half, finishing with 43 points on 12-22 shooting and 16-of-21 from the free throw line, but it wasn't enough to catch the Clippers at home. Doncic scored 20 of the Mavs' 23 points in the fourth quarter.

The Lakers' five-game winning streak ended on Tuesday as they fell to the Denver Nuggets, 122-109. James was out nursing a sore left ankle in that matchup, but he is available to play against Doncic for the second time this season on Thursday.

Here are the 3 big things to watch in tonight's game.

Luka vs. LeBron: Round Two

It's always a spectacle when Doncic goes head-to-head with one of his idols and one of the greatest players of all-time in James -- especially under the bright lights of Los Angeles on National TV. 

Doncic and the Mavericks got the best of James and the Lakers on Christmas Day as Dallas' superstar finished with 32 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists in the 124-115 victory. 

For the Lakers, they're fighting to make their way into the play-in tournament. Every single game matters more for the Lakers going forward, so expect the Mavs to get James' best showing tonight.

Feed C-Wood

In the Christmas Day matchup against the Lakers, Christian Wood dominated, finishing with 30 points, eight rebounds, seven assists, four steals, and two blocks on 12-of-17 shooting from the field in arguably his best game as a Maverick ... and perhaps his entire career.

With that being said, the Lakers were without Anthony Davis for that game, who would have had his sights set on defending Wood and the rim. In tonight's contest, the Lakers will be without Davis once again as he's still ramping up from his foot injury, which bodes well for Wood and the Mavericks. 

Look for Wood to continue his hot streak against the Lakers on Thursday night.

Dinwiddie's Playmaking

One aspect of the Mavericks' season so far that hasn't been talked about enough is the playmaking of Spencer Dinwiddie.

In the absence of Jalen Brunson this season, who bounced to the New York Knicks in free agency, the importance of Dinwiddie's facilitating abilities alongside Doncic have increased immensely – especially with the amount of quality ball-handlers on the roster being miniscule. 

For Dinwiddie, he's a shoot-first combo guard at his core, but that doesn't mean he can't create shots for his teammates. In 23 games with the Mavericks last season, Dinwiddie averaged just 3.9 assists per game. In 41 games so far this year, his assist numbers are up to 5.2 per game in that category.

Dallas has had some underwhelming stints from Facu Campazzo and Kemba Walker, and the injury to Josh Green paired with the inconsistent minutes for rookie Jaden Hardy haven't helped much either. Whether the Mavericks add another playmaker at the trade deadline or not, though, the significance of Dinwiddie's playmaking skills will remain high for this Dallas team going forward.

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