Today the Dallas Mavericks return home for a rare afternoon tilt against the Los Angeles Lakers. Oddly enough, already halfway through the season, this will be the first contest between these two teams. And though it is not a prime time start, there are plenty of ready-made story lines built in to this midseason matchup.
The Mavericks (15-28) and Lakers (14-27) both sit near the bottom of the western conference standings, but in many ways feel like they’re crossing paths at two very different stages of their respective rebuilds. The Lakers, who have won an average of 23 games over the last four seasons and are on pace to win 28 this year, haven’t made a playoff appearance in that same span of time.