The Los Angeles Lakers will face the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. It's time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Lakers-Mavericks prediction and pick.

Both of these teams desperately need this victory. The Lakers, in the midst of one of their most disappointing seasons in recent memory, are on the brink of missing the playoffs completely. That includes the play-in tournament. Los Angeles only has a one-game lead on the San Antonio Spurs for the tenth seed in the Western Conference, which makes every single game important. The Mavericks aren't in as dire a situation, but a win would still be huge for them. Dallas is making a push for the third seed, as they trail the Golden State Warriors by only a game and a half. The Warriors are in the middle of a losing streak, making this the Mavericks' best chance to gain ground. There's plenty riding on this game, so let's get into the pick.

Here are the Lakers-Mavericks odds, courtesy of FanDuel.

NBA Odds: Lakers-Mavericks Odds

Los Angeles Lakers: +11.5 (-110)

Dallas Mavericks: -11.5 (-110)

Over: 219.5 (-108)

Under: 219.5 (-112)

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Why The Lakers Could Cover The Spread

The Lakers have played against Dallas twice this season, and both times things went better than expected. Los Angeles managed to steal a game from the Mavericks in overtime, and only lost their second meeting by five points. In order for the Lakers to cover, superstar forward LeBron James must have a monster game. That's not unlikely, as James has put up 36 or more points in each of the last four games he's played. It's clear that he's kicking things into gear in order to secure a spot in the play-in tournament, and that motivation won't fade away in this game

With LeBron playing as he is, the Lakers offense has a chance to put up some serious points. In four of their last five games, Los Angeles has scored 119 points or more. Even against this strong Dallas defense, there's a chance that the Lakers have another great offensive showing. That alone would likely be enough to cover this massive spread.

Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread

While LeBron has been a dominant force in recent games, there's a chance he misses this crucial contest. James is questionable with an ankle injury, which could sink any hopes the Lakers have of covering. If James misses this game, the Lakers will likely deploy Russell Westbrook, Austin Reaves, Talen Horton-Tucker, Wenyen Gabriel, and Dwight Howard as their starting five. That lineup has an argument for the worst starting five in the NBA. It doesn't help that Howard is also questionable with a hip injury. There's a chance that the Mavericks play this game against a Lakers team almost completely devoid of legitimately good NBA players.

Home court advantage will play a huge part in this game. The Mavericks are a fantastic 26-12 when they play at home, with a 20-17 record when they play anywhere else. The Lakers are also more comfortable when they play at home, as shown by their 52% winning percentage at home and their 30% winning percentage on the road. Dallas has the huge advantage of defending their home court against a team that has been flat-out bad on the road this season.

Final Lakers-Mavericks Prediction & Pick

With James questionable, the Mavericks are an easy pick. Even with James, there's a chance that Dallas could cover this spread against a bad Lakers team. Lock in the Mavericks and don't look back.

Final Lakers-Mavericks Prediction & Pick: Mavericks -11.5 (-110)