Mavs-Lakers preview: LeBron still defies time; Doe-Doe dons LA colors

Home is where the heart is.

And that’s fine. Jason Kidd isn’t much worried about the Mavericks’ heart. He knows that’s not a problem.

But right now, as his team begins a four-game stay for what he hopes will be some home cooking at American Airlines Center, the Mavericks’ coach is more concerned about health. Improvement in that department would make everything better.

The Mavericks will be seeing LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season on Tuesday night in an early tipoff (6:30 p.m.).

It is the Lakers’ first of two visits to Dallas in the regular season. However, the second game is on April 9 and will be the second night of back-to-back games and the third game in four days for the Lakers. In this era of injury maintenance for anybody, but especially older players, MFFLs have to be aware of the possibility that this could be James’ last trip to AAC, although a playoff series is always possible.

Or James might go on another five years, based on how good he has been playing just days past his 40^th birthday.

James has continued to defy Father Time and is averaging 24 points, 8.9 assists and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 39 percent from three-point land.

Those numbers would be sensational for any 30 year old. At 40, they are nothing short of otherworldly.

And he’s been as healthy as any superstar so far, having missed only three games this season as it nears the halfway point. In addition, the Lakers’ other marquee player, Anthony Davis, has missed only two games and is actually outpacing James at 26 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.

The Mavericks? They knew they were going to be without Luka Dončić until sometime later this month with a left calf injury and now Kyrie Irving (lumbar back sprain) is out for an unspecified time.

Compounding matters is the sprained ankle center Daniel Gafford received at Memphis in the Mavericks’ 119-104 loss to the Grizzlies. He is expected to miss some time.

Going to battle without that sort of firepower is tough in the NBA. But nobody is going to feel sorry for the Mavericks.

The best advice they can get is to try to take care of business when they can. They have eight of their next 11 games at home. And several teams destined for the lottery dot the upcoming schedule. Win the games they’re supposed to win, and they will not lose touch with the Western Conference leaders. And they know that they have a championship level team if they get everybody healthy and playing well before the playoffs.

That said, they could use some TLC from the injury gods.

Here’s what else to look for going into Tuesday’s match with the Lakers:

• The Lakers are coming off Sunday’s 119-115 loss at Houston in which Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and James had 21 points and 13 rebounds. Before that, they had won seven of their previous nine games, including all three that were on the road.
• New Laker Dorian Finny-Smith has so far been a sixth-man while supplying his usual three-and-D skills. He had 13 points and two steals against Houston and in the last two outings after getting settled in, he has hit four-of-nine three-pointers. Finney-Smith played his first 6½ NBA seasons with the Mavericks before being traded to Brooklyn in the Kyrie Irving deal. He remains a favorite of fans in Dallas and he now finds himself in his best environment since being dealt to Brooklyn.
• The Mavericks are going to have to ask for big minutes from a short playing rotation, including Dereck Lively, who has been getting stronger by the game since returning from a hip injury. In three games, he has averaged 10.3 points, nine rebounds and 3.3 assists. Against Memphis on Monday, he had 14 points and 12 rebounds. He also tied his season high of four blocked shots.
• The Mavericks are on their first five-game losing streak since January, 2021, when they lost six in a row.
• The Lakers could be ready to make a move up the Western Conference standings. After the Mavericks, they play five in a row and seven of their next eight at home.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (20-15) at MAVERICKS (20-16)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m.

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: TNT.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko