Farmer’s prediction: Lakers push into the All-Star break with a convincing home win.
Feb 12, 2026 • 18:45 ET
• 4 min read
Photo By – Reuters Connect. Los Angeles Lakers guard Austin Reaves (15).
The final game before the All-Star break goes tonight at Crypto.com Arena, where the Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Dallas Mavericks.
Both teams enter this one shorthanded, but as my Mavericks vs. Lakers predictions and NBA picks explain, the Lakers still have enough depth to pick up the win on Thursday, February 12.
Mavericks vs Lakers prediction
Mavericks vs Lakers best bet: Lakers -7 (-110)
The Los Angeles Lakers have covered the spread in their last three games against the Dallas Mavericks.
Continuing this will not tie to Luka Doncic, who is sidelined with a hamstring worry, but Cooper Flagg’s absence looms even larger, robbing Dallas of its best and sometimes only offensive option.
The Mavericks should be broadly doubted for the rest of the season. As well as Flagg has played this season, Dallas has little else it can rely on.
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Mavericks vs Lakers same-game parlay
Dallas’s greatest weakness is its backcourt’s defense, something Austin Reaves should exploit so readily that the fourth quarter becomes a bit of a plod amid a blowout.
Mavericks vs Lakers SGP
Lakers -7
Austin Reaves Over 24.5 points
Under 236.5
Our “from downtown” SGP: Luka-less
DeAndre Ayton needs Doncic throwing him lobs to excel, particularly against Dallas’s decent defensive frontline.
Mavericks vs Lakers SGP
Lakers -7
Austin Reaves Over 24.5 points
DeAndre Ayton Under 12.5 points
Under 236.5
Mavericks vs Lakers odds
Spread: Mavericks +7 (-110) | Lakers -7 (-110)
Moneyline: Mavericks +240 | Lakers -300
Over/Under: Over 236.5 (-110) | Under 236.5 (-110)
Mavericks vs Lakers betting trend to know
Dallas is 0-4 against the spread in its last four games. Find more NBA betting trends for Mavericks vs. Lakers.
How to watch Mavericks vs Lakers
Location
Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles, CA
Date
Thursday, February 12, 2026
Tip-off
10:00 p.m. ET
TV
Prime Video
Mavericks vs Lakers latest injuries
Not intended for use in MA.
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Douglas Farmer spends his days thinking about college football and his nights thinking about the NBA. His betting habits and coverage follow that same pattern. He covered Notre Dame football for various outlets from 2008 to 2024, most notably spending eight seasons as NBC Sports’ beat writer on the Irish. That was also when his gambling focus took off. Knowing there were veteran beat writers with three decades more experience than he had, Douglas found his niche by best recognizing Notre Dame’s standing in each year’s national landscape, a complex tapestry most easily understood and remembered via betting odds.
In 2021, that interest created a freelance opportunity with Covers, a role that eventually led to Douglas joining the company full-time in 2023. In the fall, Douglas will place five or six dozen bets each week, a disproportionate amount via BetRivers because the operator tends to have lines slightly different than the rest of the market. The same can be said of Circa Sports’ futures markets.
While Douglas is an avid NBA fan and covers the league throughout the year, the vast majority of his bets are on college football, because that is the biggest key to sports betting: Know what you do not know.
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