As soon as the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers' Feb. 2 trade was announced, the public immediately felt one side won the deal. Oddsmakers seem to agree, favoring the Lakers to beat the Mavericks in the team's first meeting since the blockbuster Luka Doncic-Anthony Davis trade.

The teams will meet for the first time since the trade on Feb. 25 at Crypto.com Arena. Opening lines for the game have already been released, with the Lakers emerging as four-point favorites, according to Fanduel Sportsbook. A lot can change in the three weeks from the trade to the matchup, but oddsmakers appear to believe Los Angeles came out on top of the deal.

The betting market also gave the Lakers the edge in the NBA Finals future market. Following the trade, the Lakers' championship odds skyrocketed to third-best in the Western Conference, while the Mavericks' odds subsequently dropped to the bottom of the league.

Both Doncic and Davis will presumably be available for the meeting, which will occur one week after the 2025 All-Star break. Both players are dealing with nagging injuries but are expected to return before the aforementioned All-Star weekend on Feb. 16. Doncic is currently dealing with a calf injury, while Davis is nursing an abdominal issue.

Historically, Davis has been the more injury-prone player throughout his career. However, Doncic has been worse for the wear in 2024-2025. The five-time All-Star point guard had appeared in just 22 of the Mavericks' 49 games at the time of the trade. He has not played since Christmas Day.

Lakers and Mavericks' history

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Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) and Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) in action during the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the Los Angeles Lakers at the American Airlines Center.
Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The Lakers and Mavericks have met once thus far in 2024-2025. Dallas won the Jan. 7 matchup 118-97 behind a 23-point, nine-rebound game from Quentin Grimes. Doncic did not play in that game due to his lengthy absence.

Davis, however, did play and scored 21 points, 12 rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Although he was just 7-for-18 from the field, his point total was a team high.

Since Doncic entered the league in 2018, the Mavericks have slightly edged the head-to-head matchup record. Dallas has won 11 of the 21 meetings since the 2018-2019 season. Of those games, 14 included both Doncic and Davis facing each other. Davis owns the head-to-head record against Doncic, going 8-6 against his counterpart.

While the Lakers and Mavericks have never shared a historic rivalry, the Feb. 25 meeting could serve as a revenge game for Doncic and Davis. Both players departed their previous organizations under scrutiny, and the franchises reportedly became frustrated with their off-court issues.