Luka Doncic is facing the Dallas Mavericks again. It is a poor reflection of the Los Angeles Lakers that this return to his old stomping ground is not getting as much attention.
My Lakers vs. Mavericks predictions will still trust Luka. Some anger still lingers.
Read more in my NBA picks for Saturday, January 24.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. ET from the American Airlines Center in Dallas, with the game airing on ABC.
Lakers vs Mavericks prediction
Lakers vs Mavericks best bet: Luka Doncic Over 33.5 points (-112)
There may not be many headlines surrounding Luka Doncic’s return to Big D today, but that’s exactly when the Los Angeles Lakers superstar is likely to remind the Dallas Mavericks what they traded away.
No one actually thinks Doncic got over that trade in just one offseason, do they? The Mavs’ insults should be fresh in his mind.
Even if this was just a random opponent, Luka has cleared this prop in seven of his last 13 games. He is always ready to score in the mid-30s.
Lakers vs Mavericks same-game parlay
Doncic has returned to Dallas once.
He hit 7-of-10 threes as the Lakers covered a 4.5-point spread with a 15-point win.
Lakers vs Mavericks SGP
Luka Doncic Over 33.5 points
Luka Doncic Over 3.5 threes
Lakers -4
Our "from downtown" SGP: Paint Issues Remain
Betting on Dallas post players is a direct reflection of Los Angeles’s greatest weakness.
Until the Lakers find proper big men for Luka, they are wasting his brilliance.
Lakers vs Mavericks SGP
Luka Doncic Over 33.5 points
Luka Doncic Over 3.5 threes
Lakers -4
Cooper Flagg Over 18.5 points
Daniel Gafford Over 7.5 points
Lakers vs Mavericks odds
Spread: Lakers -4 (-110) | Mavericks +4 (-110)
Moneyline: Lakers -170 | Mavericks +145
Over/Under: Over 233.5 (-110) | Under 233.5 (-110)
Lakers vs Mavericks betting trend to know
The Lakers have won their last three games against the Mavericks. Find more NBA betting trends for Lakers vs. Mavericks.
How to watch Lakers vs Mavericks
Location
American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Date
Saturday, January 24, 2026
Tip-off
8:30 p.m. ET
TV
ABC
Lakers vs Mavericks latest injuries
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LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) — Dani Carnegie and Rylie Theuerkauf scored 19 points each and Georgia led nearly wire-to-wire in a 72-67 victory over No. 11 Kentucky on Saturday.
A 3-pointer from Kaelyn Carroll gave the Wildcats their only lead of the game, 42-39 with 5 1/2 minutes remaining in the third quarter. Georgia scored the next seven points and went on to lead 52-50 heading to the fourth. The teams combined to make 10 3s in the quarter, six of them by Kentucky.
The Lady Bulldogs led 60-55 with 5:45 remaining before defense took over and neither team scored in the next three minutes. Mia Woolfolk's jumper gave Georgia a seven-point lead with 2:34 remaining then Amelia Hassett's 3 got the Wildcats within 62-58. It was the last made basket before another 3 by Hassett got Kentucky within 70-67 with eight seconds to go.
Carnegie finished off the win with a pair of free throws for Georgia. The Lady Bulldogs made 18 of 20 free throws.
Woolfolk had 11 points and 13 rebounds and Trinity Turner scored 14 points for Georgia (18-3, 4-3 SEC).
Hassett and Asia Boone, who combined to make nine of Kentucky’s 11 3-pointers, scored 15 points each. Tonie Morgan had 10 points and 12 assists, and Jordan Obi scored 12 to go with nine rebounds.
Georgia scored the first nine points of the game and led 21-12 through the first quarter. A 3-pointer by Turner pushed Georgia's lead to 24-12 to open the second quarter but Kentucky (17-5, 4-4) rallied and trailed only 34-26 at halftime.
The game was moved from Sunday to Saturday because of the severe winter storm affecting much of the country from the southern plains and Rocky Mountains to New England through the weekend.
COLLEGE STATION, Texas (AP) — Zach Clemence scored 21 points on seven 3-pointers to lead Texas A&M to a 92-69 victory over South Carolina on Saturday.
Rylan Griffen added 16 points for Texas A&M (16-4, 6-1 Southeastern Conference), which entered tied with Florida atop the SEC standings and has won nine of its last 10 games.
Pop Isaacs and Rashaun Agee each chipped in with 11 points for the Aggies.
The Aggies finished the first half on a 19-4 run to take a 46-25 lead at the break. Clemence scored 12 points and Ruben Dominguez scored all nine of his on 3s for the Aggies. Meechie Johnson scored 13 first-half points to pace the Gamecocks.
Ali Dibba's jumper with 12:30 left in the second half gave the Aggies their largest lead, 70-38.
Johnson scored 26 points on 7-of-12 shooting and made all 10 of his free-throw attempts to lead South Carolina (11-9, 2-5), which has lost four of its last five. Kobe Knox added 18 points and Myles Stute had 11.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The NBA game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Golden State Warriors was postponed on Saturday afternoon following another fatal shooting by a federal officer in Minneapolis.
The game was rescheduled for Sunday afternoon. The Timberwolves and Warriors are also scheduled to play on Monday night.
The league announced the decision was made to “prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community" after 37-year-old Alex Pretti was killed in a confrontation with officers on a street in a commercial district less than two miles from Target Center, the downtown arena where the Timberwolves play. With the crowd of protesters growing around the shooting site on Saturday, the Minnesota National Guard was assisting local police to try to keep the peace.
The Minnesota Twins were holding their annual winter fan festival at Target Field, across the street from Target Center, and ended the event an hour early for the "expedited departure" of all guests.
Thousands of people marched through downtown on Friday with the air temperature well below zero in protest of the presence and tactics of the federal force that swelled to about 3,000 officers in the Twin Cities area this month as part of the Trump administration's immigration crackdown.
Two weeks ago, 37-year-old Renee Good was fatally shot in her car as she drove away from a group of officers following a confrontation. The Timberwolves held a moment of silence for Good before their game the following night.
___
This story has been corrected to omit “ICE” from the headline. Pretti was shot by an officer from Border Patrol, not U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
On Saturday, federal agents shot and killed a 37-year-old man in Minneapolis during widespread, ongoing protests of the increased presence of ICE and border patrol agents in the city. This is the second person federal agents shot and killed in Minneapolis in less than three weeks.
In the wake of this second killing, the NBA announced plans to postpone Saturday's Golden State Warriors at Minnesota Timberwolves game.
"The decision was made to prioritize the safety and security of the Minneapolis community," the league said in a statement announcing the change.
The game has been rescheduled for Sunday, Jan. 25, at 4:30 p.m. CT at the Target Center. That turns this into a back-to-back between the two teams, who are now scheduled to play on Sunday and Monday.
At 6:50 PM CT, federal law enforcement officers were conducting a targeted traffic stop in Minneapolis of an illegal alien from Venezuela who was released into the country by Joe Biden in 2022.
In an attempt to evade arrest, the subject fled the scene in his vehicle and crashed…
Protests emerged after an ICE agent fatally shot 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis on Jan. 7. Federal authorities have said she was shot in self-defense, however city and state leaders and other supporters of Good have maintained that her killing was unjustified.
Other postponed NBA games
The NBA has recently seen other regular-season games around the league postponed.
A matchup between the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets was rescheduled to an earlier time to accommodate for catastrophic winter storms sweeping across the country.
A Chicago Bulls-Miami Heat regular-season game at United Center in Chicago was postponed on Jan. 8 because the court was unsafe for basketball activities due to moisture on the floor from a rainy day in Chicago.
PITTSBURGH (AP) — Quadir Copeland scored 20 points and had nine assists, Ven-Allen Lubin had 17 points and 12 rebounds, and N.C. State beat Pittsburgh 81-72 on Saturday.
Paul McNeil Jr. added 15 points on five 3-pointers and along with Copeland and Lubin led a surge over the final eight minutes to send the Wolfpack (14-6, 5-2 ACC) to their fourth win in five games and seventh in their last nine. Tre Holloman added 10 points.
Roman Siulepa had 15 points and 13 rebounds, Cameron Corhen 10 points and 10 rebounds, Damarco Minor 13 points and Barry Dunning Jr. 12 for the Panthers (8-12, 1-6), who have lost five of their last six.
Trailing by four, Lubin scored to lead off a 12-0 run that Copeland and McNeil combined to finish for their first lead since the start of the half. ACC preseason player of the year Darrion Williams finished with only seven points but came off the bench with four fouls after the final media timeout to help maintain the cushion with four straight points.
Nojus Indrusaitis hit a 3 to cut the lead to seven with 35 seconds remaining but Lubin finished the scoring with an alley-opp dunk.
Copeland's drive at the end of the first half had N.C. State up 34-33.
N.C. State made 22 of 27 free throws to just 11 of 25 for Pitt and outscored the Panthers 22-3 off turnovers to offset a 52-31 disadvantage on the boards.
Up next
NC State is home against Syracuse on Tuesday.
Pittsburgh is home against Wake Forest on Tuesday.
Although the injury report for tomorrow’s game against the New Orleans Pelicans isn’t due for a few more hours, Spurs wing Devin Vassell confirmed to the media at practice today that will return from his 13-game absence, albeit on a minutes restriction. Regardless, in his own words, he’s just happy to be back.
Devin Vassell told us after practice this morning he will return to action Sunday against New Orleans. He’s responding here to a question about whether he will be on a minutes restriction. pic.twitter.com/28JWNRMs9G
Vassell has missed the last 13 games with an adductor strain, which is a series muscles located in the inner thigh that connect to the groin and help stabilize the pelvis. It can be a very stubborn injury that can result in a rupture if not allowed to properly heal. He had been traveling with the team for the last couple of weeks and seen practicing, and this stretch of one game in five days (the have two days off both before and after Sunday’s game) felt like an ideal target date.
In his absence, the Spurs have gone 8-5 while struggling with offense and overall consistency. (Isn’t it nice to be able to “complain” about a winning record again?) While Vassell may not be THE answer to bringing them back to their Christmas form, he is one of few Spurs who can dribble and create is own shot almost anywhere on the floor, making him an ideal release valve when a play breaks down. He has also been shooting a steady 38% from three this season, so even if he initially comes off the bench while on a minutes restriction, hopefully he can help the Spurs find more consistency there as well.
The injury report for tomorrow’s game is due at 5 PM, and the only other name to watch will be Luke Kornet, who missed Thursday’s game against the Jazz with the same “injury”, although Mitch Johnson said it was very short term and he didn’t expect him to miss much time. If he’s back and there’s no new injuries reported, this will be the healthiest the Spurs have been since December.
The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Orlando Magic. They’ll see them again just a few days later in Cleveland. Let’s take a look at this initial matchup.
Where Each Team Stands
These two teams might be close in the standings, but they have been heading in opposite directions since late December.
Orlando has fallen to the bottom 10 in offense and defense during this stretch, with the seventh-worst net rating in the league. The Cavs, on the other hand, are 9th in offense, 10th in defense, and 11th in net rating since December 22nd. All stats are according to Cleaning the Glass, which removes garbage time.
That’s not to say this game will be easy. The Magic are still a quality team, and the Cavs aren’t exactly a powerhouse right now. But it’s worth knowing where each team stands entering this matchup. The Cavs have every opportunity to continue trending upwards if they take care of business against the struggling Magic.
Back to Back
The Cavs are playing in the second night of a back-to-back tonight. They are 4-3 this season when playing with no rest.
Of course, every NBA team has to deal with the same scheduling issues. But this is worth mentioning because Cleveland has struggled to show consistent effort throughout the season. This game is ripe with potential to be a stinker, considering the circumstances.
That’s no excuse if it happens. I’m only pointing out the situation. Let’s see if the Cavs can play with the appropriate energy and intensity tonight.
Evan Mobley’s Groove
Six of the last eight quarters have been lights out for Evan Mobley. He dominated Charlotte in the first half, then crushed the Kings for the entire game last night. His 27 points, 13 rebounds, 7 assists and 4 blocks were a reminder of how talented Mobley is.
Can he keep it up?
The Cavs aren’t a title contender without this version of Mobley. He’s finding his groove for the first time this season, and another dominant performance would have us feeling pretty good.
The Knicks (26*–18) take the court in Philly today, trying to avoid an 0-3 hole in their season series with the 76ers (24-19). New York comes in buoyed by Wednesday’s record-setting rout of Brooklyn, but the Sixers have already solved them twice, in fairly convincing fashion. Will New York’s wings finally neutralize Tyrese Maxey? Will their frontcourt stand up to Joel Embiid? Are our heroes truly back on track or was Wednesday’s annihilation of the Nets merely fool’s gold?
Find out at 3 p.m. EST on ABC. This is your game thread. This is Liberty Ballers. Please don’t post large photos, GIFs, or links to illegal streams in the thread. Be good ambassadors of humanity. And go Knicks!
* Should be one more, but the Cup final doesn’t count.
The Celtics could be without Jaylen Brown and Neemias Queta when they face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Brown (left hamstring tightness) and Queta (non-COVID illness) are both probable.
Brown strained his hamstring in the preseason and has been dealing with some tightness in that hamstring over the past week, which he said affected him on Friday night. Still, he tallied a 27-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double, the fifth triple-double of his career.
“I’ve been dealing with some hamstring tightness, so I didn’t have my bursts today, where they were switching the five onto me with Claxton, and he’s, in my opinion, way too far,” Brown said. “I should be able to just blow by him and do what I do, but I just didn’t have that acceleration tonight. Sometimes that can mess with your head a little bit, but I found other ways to be effective, trusted my teammates, rebounded the ball, and things like that.”
The Celtics will almost undoubtedly be exhausted when gameplay tips off on Saturday; they are playing on the second night of a back-to-back, and several key players logged heavy minutes in Friday’s double overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets: Brown played 46 minutes, Payton Pritchard played 40 minutes, Sam Hauser played 39 minutes, and Anfernee Simons played 37.
Neemias Queta, meanwhile, is once again dealing with an illness that triggered two-way rookie Amari Williams to take a last-second commercial flight from Portland, Maine, to New York City. Queta ended up playing and fouling out after 28 minutes of action, tallying 6 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists.
Williams ended up playing 5 minutes in the win, making several key plays in overtime to help secure the Celtics’ 130-126 victory.
“Neemy wasn’t feeling great, so I flew in today,” Williams said. “Just kind of being ready for whatever — you don’t really know.”
In addition to Queta and Brown, Jayson Tatum (Achilles rupture repair) and Josh Minott (left ankle sprain) remain sidelined.
Celtics Injury Report vs. Chicago (1/24):
Jaylen Brown – Left Hamstring Tightness – PROBABLE Josh Minott – Left Ankle Sprain – OUT Neemias Queta – Illness (Non-Covid) – PROBABLE Jayson Tatum – Right Achilles Repair – OUT
The Celtics face the Bulls for the second time this season
Last time the two teams faced off in early January, Anfernee Simons exploded for 27 points and the Celtics came away with a 115-101 victory.
The Celtics have won two straight games and 6 of their last 10 games, currently holding a 28-16 record, good for second-best in the Eastern Conference. The Bulls, meanwhile, have won three straight games and 5 of their last 10 games. They’re currently in the play-in mix with a 22-22 record.
The Bulls will be without Noa Essengue (left shoulder surgery), Zach Collins (right toe sprain), and Tre Jones (left hamstring strain).
In one of the most exciting games of the season, the Boston Celtics eked out a win over the Brooklyn Nets in a double OT thriller on Friday night. It was a back-and-forth game of runs, 22 lead changes, 13 ties, and no lead bigger than 11 points. With the Nets having lost their last game 120-66, I don’t think anyone expected this game to be as close as it was, but ultimately, the Celtics did what they needed to do to stave off a bitter defeat to one of the league’s worst teams.
With just under two and a half minutes left in regulation, Boston had a 9-point lead, but a 10-1 flurry by Brooklyn sent the game into overtime. Momentum clearly was on their side, but the Celtics managed to take a 4-point lead with a little over two minutes remaining in the period. Again, the Nets fought back, and this time it felt like they put the nail in the coffin, sinking two free throws to take a 5-point lead with just 8 seconds left. That’s when an unlikely hero emerged.
Between the free throws, Joe Mazzulla subbed Amari Williams in for Baylor Scheierman. Amari Williams, one of Boston’s second-round picks from this year’s draft who currently is on a two-way contract, was shooting around with the Maine Celtics that very same morning.
At this point in the game, Neemias Queta and Luka Garza had both fouled out. Chris Boucher and Xavier Tillman, both vets with size, were sitting at the end of the bench. Joe could have gone to either of them, but instead, went with the 23-year-old rookie who flew in on a commercial flight from Portland, Maine just two hours before the game, seemingly a last-minute decision after Queta was tabbed “questionable” with an illness.
With that one substitution, Mazzulla saved the game. The Celtics opted not to use their last timeout just yet, having Sam Hauser inbound the ball from the baseline. Sam threw a perfect spiral down to Williams, who jumped up to catch the ball around the opposite free-throw line and touch-passed it over to Payton Pritchard before even landing on the ground. Payton threw a quick pump-fake to get the defender to jump, and then knocked down a massive side-step three to make it a 2-point game with just 3.9 seconds left.
Celtics using Amari Williams skillset in the clutch. Needed a tall guy to go up and catch the long pass and be able to pass that to PP good job pic.twitter.com/0yvLEzXkxu
After the game, Pritchard noted that the Celtics had practiced that exact play before, but never with Amari. Williams is known to be a great passer, though, and had practiced the play separately with the rest of the Maine squad. It serves as a testament to the system which the Celtics have set up, an amazing display of continuity and connectivity between both the NBA and G-League teams, something which fellow CelticsBlogger, Nik Land, has previously highlighted on the site. It’s also a testament to the trust Joe has in that system, as well as the players.
Speaking of trust, as we return to the game, the Celtics are still down by two at this point. Thanks to a quick foul and a missed free throw by the Nets, Boston was given a chance to tie the game, a 3-point game with three seconds left. Another smart substitution by Mazzulla, reading how the defense had set up, Joe brought in another rookie, Hugo Gonzalez. That late sub seemed to bring on a defensive miscommunication, which led to maybe the shot of the game, a wide-open corner three for Gonzalez, who nailed the shot to bring on a second overtime.
It was in this second overtime where Amari really made his mark. Williams made just his second field-goal of the season for Boston with 3.5 minutes left in the period, a tough and-one bucket to give the Celtics a three-point lead. He ran in perfect flow with Pritchard, roaming the paint to find an opening as Payton worked the defense to set Amari up.
AMARI!!! Does a good job moving with the Pritchard switching dunker spots and giving him a window to pass. AND ONE pic.twitter.com/5u6VmCESPj
Immediately after that play, Nic Claxton came barreling towards Williams on the other end of the court, trying to body his way in for a layup. Amari held his ground without fouling, though, and got extremely close to blocking the shot. While it didn’t get recorded in the stat sheet, he still made a huge defensive play, forcing Claxton to miss, and preserving the Celtics 3-point lead.
With just over 40 seconds left in the period, the Celtics held a 4-point lead. Nolan Traore, one of Brooklyn’s many rookies, was having his best game of the season, 21 points on the night. With a sneaky fake-handoff, he was able to split Baylor Scheierman and Pritchard for what seemed like an open layup, but Williams, who was guarding the corner, recognized and reacted quickly enough to slide over and swat that shot away at its peak, another massive defensive play.
That block is ultimately what sealed the game at 130-126.
Through all of that, Amari played just 5:05 minutes while making an immeasurable impact on the game. This was only his ninth game with Boston, but this performance is already having fans asking themselves, why haven’t we seen more of him?
He was thrown into the game at the end of overtime after having spent the morning with a different team, and the entire rest of the night on the bench, yet he managed to look like a vet out there. He displayed incredible maturity, and everyone took notice. After the game, Mazzulla said, “for Amari to be able to sit there the entire game and be ready to execute some of the plays that we’ve run over in practice, it’s a credit to him and the coaching staff that work with him, getting him ready to go.” Pritchard shared the same sentiment, while also adding that the Celtics are “lucky to have” Williams.
Following the double-OT thriller, the Celtics find themselves on the second night of a back-to-back, facing off against the Chicago Bulls. After 58 minutes of gritty basketball, there will be plenty of tired legs, which could very well create another opportunity for Amari to take the floor, especially considering Queta was already questionable for the game with Brooklyn.
Regardless, it seems like Brad Stevens found another stud in the draft. Williams made a very compelling case to see more minutes up in Boston, and if he’s able to string together more performances like this one, maybe he can even see that two-way converted into a standard contract before the end of the year. His future certainly looks very bright.
There’s a special kind of torture reserved for Golden State fans watching today’s game against Minnesota. Not the usual anxiety of a regular season matchup against a Western Conference contender, but something deeper. Something that cuts straight to the bone.
The Warriors face the Timberwolves today missing Jimmy Butler, who tore his ACL on Monday. Last spring, when these teams met in the playoffs, Golden State was missing Steph Curry, who suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain in Game 1 of their second-round series. The Wolves won four straight games while Curry sat, ending what could have been a magical run after the Warriors upset the 2-seed Houston Rockets in seven games.
Do you see the cruel symmetry here? The universe has decided that Curry and Butler can’t both be healthy against Minnesota. Pick one. Never both.
Jimmy Butler played 388 mins this season without either Curry or Draymond on the court. Net rating in those mins: +15.9
The ability to not just survive but win those mins was the biggest thing Butler contributed, and there is zero way to make that up elsewhere. Just sucks.
This is the nightmare Dub Nation has been living since February 2025, when Mike Dunleavy traded for Butler and signed him to a two-year extension. The move was supposed to give Curry one last legitimate co-star, one final push at extending the dynasty’s championship window. And for a glorious stretch, it worked. The Warriors went 23-7 with Butler in the lineup down the stretch last season. They looked dangerous. They looked like a team that could make noise in the playoffs.
Then Curry went down in Game 1 against the Wolves, and Butler had to carry the load alone. He tried. God knows he tried. But asking a 36-year-old to single-handedly will a team past a hungry Minnesota squad featuring Anthony Edwards at the peak of his powers was asking too much. Now the roles are reversed. Butler’s out for the season. Curry, who turns 38 in March, is alone again. And the opponent? The same damn Timberwolves who eliminated them last spring.
The pain in the Bay Area isn’t just about losing games. It’s about watching a window slam shut in slow motion. These two superstars finally found each other at this stage of their careers, bringing complementary skills and championship DNA to Chase Center. But they’ve barely played meaningful basketball together when both are healthy and locked in. Injuries keep stealing what little time they have left.
Today’s game against Minnesota should serve as a mirror for the Timberwolves themselves. Yes, they’ve got Anthony Edwards ascending into superstardom. Julius Randle definitely provides legitimate secondary scoring. They’re clearly positioned to compete in the West for years to come. But talent means nothing if you can’t stay healthy long enough to capitalize on it.
The Wolves should watch what’s happening to Golden State with the clarity of a cautionary tale. This Warriors team has two future Hall of Famers, championship experience, and organizational stability. None of it matters when your stars can’t share the court during the games that count. One freak injury, one awkward landing, one hamstring that won’t cooperate, and your entire window evaporates.
The Jimmy Butler injury is just the latest heartbreak for Warriors fans. It gets to a point… pic.twitter.com/dfFQrSmof3
Minnesota has their own fragile window. Edwards is 24 and indestructible until he’s not. Randle has battled injuries throughout his career. Rudy Gobert is 33. These moments are fleeting in the NBA, even when you think you’ve built something sustainable. The Warriors learned this lesson the hard way. Today, Curry will take the court at Target Center carrying the weight of back-to-back seasons defined by injuries at the worst possible moments. He’ll face the franchise that eliminated his team when Butler couldn’t save them alone. Now Butler can’t help him.
This is what the end of a dynasty can look like. Not a dramatic collapse or a roster teardown, but a series of cruel coincidences that prevent greatness from manifesting one final time. The talent is there. The will is there. But the health? The universe has decided that’s asking too much.
Steph Curry and Jimmy Butler won 70% of their games together …
