Luka Doncic will return to Dallas as a member of the Lakers, and the Slovenian guard plans to stay unbeaten against his former employers, who inexplicably traded him last year in exchange for essentially Anthony Davis.
A lot has changed between these NBA teams since the blockbuster trade, with the Lakers emerging as a legitimate playoff contender in the Western Conference and the Mavericks dropping to the play-in spots, despite having Cooper Flagg, the top overall pick last summer. However, the Mavericks have the edge in recent form, as they’ve won four in a row while the Lakers lost twice in the same period.
Besides the Lakers-Mavericks matchup, SBOTOP basketball fans can also get their dose of NBA 2026 highlights, as the Hornets, Sixers, Timberwolves, Magic, Bulls, and Jazz host the Wizards, Knicks, Warriors, Cavaliers, Celtics, and Heat, respectively.
Here’s the preview of the Top 3 games (with the NBA 2026 odds) from tomorrow’s seven-game slate.
New York Knicks @ Philadelphia Sixers
The Knicks hope that the third time’s the charm when they face the Sixers again tomorrow, as they dropped the previous two games. The Mike Brown-coached squad is keen to build momentum from their emphatic rout of the Nets on Wednesday that ended their four-game slide.
New York had their best defencive performance of the season during the 120-66 blowout victory, and six of their players recorded double-digit points. Jalen Brunson led all scorers with 20 points, four rebounds, and five assists on 8-for-17 shooting from the field, while Landry Shamet, Karl-Anthony Towns, Miles McBride, Mikal Bridges, and Josh Hart added 18, 14, 14, 11, and 11 points. Despite their uneven run of recent results, the Knicks are fourth in the Eastern Conference with a 26-18 record.
The Sixers are coming off a 128-122 overtime win over the Rockets on Thursday. Tyrese Maxey had a team-high 36 points, while Joel Embiid logged a triple-double in 46 minutes – the most he had played in a regular season game in more than three years – with 32 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists, and Kelly Oubre Jr. chipped in 26 points on 10-for-14 shooting from the field.
Betting tip – Over 228.00 @ 1.81
Boston Celtics @ Chicago Bulls
There’s a buoyant mood around the United Center ahead of Saturday night, as the Bulls are on a three-game winning streak, and they will also hold a special jersey retirement ceremony for former league MVP Derrick Rose.
Since their blowout loss in Brooklyn last weekend, the Bulls have strung together wins over the Nets, Clippers, and Timberwolves. And in the 120-115 victory at Minnesota, Josh Giddey made his awaited on-court return from a hamstring injury.
In his first game back, Giddey recorded 21 points, six rebounds, five assists, and two steals on 7-for-13 shooting from the field in 26 minutes off the bench. Coby White led the team with 22 points, while Jalen Smith, Matas Buzelis, Isaac Okoro, and Nikola Vucevic added 17, 12, 10, and 10 points.
The Celtics are fresh from a 130-126 double overtime win against the Nets on Friday, strengthening their hold on the Eastern Conference’s second seed. Payton Pritchard had a game-high 32 points, four rebounds, four assists, and six three-pointers on 13-for-24 shooting from the field. Jaylen Brown (who notched his fifth career triple-double), Sam Hauser, Luka Garza, Anfernee Simons, and Hugo Gonzalez – who hit the game-tying triple to force double OT – added 27, 19, 12, 10, and 10 points.
Betting tip – Boston Celtics Asian Handicap -2.00 @ 2.08
Los Angeles Lakers @ Dallas Mavericks
The Lakers plan to return to winning ways when they visit the Mavericks tomorrow, and Luka Doncic will likely put up video game numbers in his old stomping grounds.
The six-time NBA All-Star leads the league in scoring (33.4 points per game), is fourth in assists (8.7 assists per game), and also averages 7.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals on 46.5-per cent shooting from the field. In their 112-104 defeat to the Clippers, Doncic had 32 points, 11 rebounds, eight assists, and three steals on 11-for-27 shooting from the field and 7-for-10 shooting from the free throw line. LeBron James, Rui Hachimura, and Marcus Smart added 23, 12, and 10 points.
The Mavericks are fresh from a 123-115 home win against the Warriors, as Naji Marshall had 30 points, seven rebounds, and nine assists on 10-for-12 shooting from the field. Max Christie, Cooper Flagg, Brandon Williams, Dwight Powell, and PJ Washington added 21, 21, 19, 10 and 10 points.
Betting tip – Los Angeles Lakers Asian Handicap -4.50 @ 2.05
Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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