The NBA in-season tournament champions return to action on Tuesday night when the Los Angeles Lakers travel to Dallas to take on the Mavericks. It is time to continue our NBA odds series with a Lakers-Mavericks prediction, pick, and how-to-watch.

The Lakers look like two different teams when it comes to the regular season and the in-season tournament. They dominated the in-season tournament, winning seven straight games by a combined 135 points. Then, they won the title on Saturday night with a win over the Indiana Pacers. In the regular season, the Lakers have won five non-tournament games in their last 12 and haven't strung together two wins in over ten games. Is it a sign of things to come that Lebron will turn his game on when the games get more important to lead his team to the title? The Lakers fans will take that possibility, but it doesn't do much for the confidence level of Lakers regular season bettors.

The Mavericks have been injury-riddled so far this season. Kyrie Irving, Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Derrick Jones Jr. are all questionable for Tuesday night's matchup. Luka Doncic has also been added to the injury report as questionable with a lower back contusion. The Mavericks have won three straight and are in first place in the Southeast division. However, they may struggle if all their players end up sitting out another game with injury in the second half of a back-to-back.

Here are the NBA odds, courtesy of FanDuel. 

NBA Odds: Lakers-Mavericks Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: -4 (-112) ML (-178)

Dallas Mavericks: +4 (-108) ML (+150)

Over: 230.5 (-110)

Under: 230.5 (-110)

How to Watch Lakers vs. Mavericks

Time: 7:30 PM ET/4:30 PM PT

TV: TNT

Stream: FuboTV (Click for free trial)

Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

The Lakers are riding high after their in-season tournament win. Now that their goal of winning the title is out of the way, they may begin to take the regular season more seriously. The Lakers have covered the spread in four straight games in the in-season tournament, and many people will question their motivation in Tuesday night's game. It is the first game for the Lakers since winning a championship in Vegas. There's a good chance that the team celebrated the win and now has to try and get up for a regular season game three days later.

The good news for the Lakers is that the Mavericks are severely shorthanded. Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Derrick Jones Jr. are all questionable for Tuesday night's matchup. It is also the second game of a back-to-back for the Mavericks, and they are riding high after three straight wins. If most of those players miss the game, the Mavericks' motivation and chances of winning take a severe hit. The circumstances of this game are a shame, as two of these teams at full strength would have been a good Tuesday night matchup. It is difficult to handicap this matchup, but the Lakers are the safer bet with all the Mavericks' injuries.

The Mavericks took care of the Lakers at the Crypto.com arena on November 22nd, winning by three points as one-point favorites. The Lakers have a prideful squad determined to return the favor, no matter who is in the lineup for the Mavericks.

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread

There are far too many question marks for the Mavericks tonight to be confident in backing them. The core of their lineup is questionable on the injury report, including their five leading scorers. If they all take the night off, the Mavericks' best scorer will be Derrick Lively, averaging 9.1 points per game. You can argue that it will be an opportunity for the bench players of the Mavericks to make a statement against a Lakers team coming off the in-season tournament win hangover. However, if the Lakers have a full lineup, they have too much firepower to keep the Mavericks in the game.

Final Lakers-Mavericks Prediction & Pick

The Lakers don't get as much of a break as they thought they would tonight in terms of a stressful environment. The Mavericks may be without their five leading scorers. The Lakers have Anthony Davis and Lebron James popping up on their injury report. It's more likely that Davis and Lebron will play, as they are commonly found on the injury report. The Mavericks' injury situation is more concrete, and most will miss the game. If the Lakers have a full lineup, they need to prove a point and beat the Mavericks on Tuesday night. If the Lakers lose to the Mavericks bench, questions will be asked about their team. All of the pundits will forget about the in-season tournament win and jump back on the bandwagon of negativity against the Lakers.

Don't be surprised if James and Davis also sit out tonight if Dallas is without Irving and Doncic. If that's the case, the Lakers bench has more depth than the Mavericks. This will be a game that you will want to keep monitoring our site up until the tip to catch any last-minute injury updates.

Final Lakers-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Lakers -4 (-112)