Lakers vs. Mavericks Preview and Game Thread: The anticipated reunion

The Lakers look to make it three in a row as Luka Dončić goes up against the Mavs for the first time as a Laker on Tuesday.

After a successful two-game road trip, the Lakers are back home where they will host the reunion between Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks.

This is the second meeting between the teams this season as L.A. hopes to extend their winning streak to three while Dallas looks to bounce back from a tough loss.

Start time and TV schedule

Who: Los Angeles Lakers vs. Dallas Mavericks

When: 7 PST, Feb 25

Where: Crypto.com Arena

Watch: TNT, Spectrum Sportsnet

After the purple and gold conquered their kryptonite, the Denver Nuggets, on Saturday, head coach JJ Redick gave what I thought was an incredible and powerful postgame speech. The rookie coach said that the statement victory against the Nuggets instilled belief in this Lakers team, which is currently figuring things out on the fly.

There was no better time for the former player turned coach to say this especially since it’s gut check time for the purple and gold. The Lakers' goal is to keep up their superb play of late and one way they can do that is to perform like they did against the Nuggets in their next slate of games, which is considered the hardest in the league.

Their next match is against a Mavs team who, despite not having Anthony Davis, can still be really competitive. Prior to embarrassingly losing to the Golden State Warriors on Sunday, the Mavs were on a three-game winning streak.

Expect them to approach Tuesday’s game with the desire to bounce back. When Dallas is clicking, they will show why they have the league’s eighth-best offense as well as the 14th-ranked defense.

In fairness to the Mavs, their above-average offense and defense, even though they’ve been battling injuries all year, is quite impressive. This speaks to their coaching staff and roster.

Remember, this Mavericks team was the same one who beat the Lakers early this year despite not having Dončić and Kyrie Irving. That remains one of L.A.’s worst losses this season.

That’s why I’m interested to see how Redick responds in this one. In their previous meeting against the Mavs, Austin Reaves was relentlessly attacked on defense and it worked for Dallas. So, there will probably be a lot more of this on Tuesday. Expect the Lakers to counter and this matchup will be a really good chess match between the two superb coaches.

But the most anticipated storyline of the night is going Luka and the fact that he’s facing the team that betrayed him for the first time since becoming a Laker. Hopefully, we get another signature performance from him as we’re all aware by now that these are the type of games he gets up for.

Outside of Dončić, Los Angeles has to make it a point to maximize Dallas’ lack of interior presence and hopefully remain hot from the perimeter to beat their defense. If the Lakers find a way to limit Irving, Klay Thompson and PJ Washington’s offense, then they should be more than fine in this one. Hopefully, that will be the case and that Dončić and the Lakers get the last laugh against the Mavericks on Tuesday.

Notes and Updates

• For the Lakers’ injury report, LeBron James (left foot injury management) is probable while Maxi Kleber (right foot surgery recovery) is out.
• As for the Mavs, Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture) and Caleb Martin (right hip strain) are out. Dwight Powell (right hip strain) is doubtful while Washinton (right ankle sprain) is questionable.
• Perhaps the only time we’re allowed to cheer for Mavs players on Tuesday is when the Lakers pay tribute to AD and, presumably, Max Christie. I don’t know about you, but I’m getting my tissues ready for that one. It’s going to be extremely weird seeing Davis on the visitor’s bench.
• We will be live on Playback for this game, so be sure to join us!

You can follow Nicole on Twitter at @nicoleganglani.