The Mavericks and Lakers are perhaps the two teams most changed by trades at the deadline. The updated Lakers roster looks revitalized and has gone 9-5, but Dallas, on the other hand, has an inverted 5-9 record, beset by injuries to their two All-Stars and drama swirling around playing time and rotations. Head coach Jason Kidd’s flippant post-game press remarks have only added fuel to the fire.
After battling tooth and nail against the lowly Spurs just to draw to an even .500 on the season, the Mavericks head to LA looking to claw their way back up the Western Conference standings, which remain tantalizingly close, no matter how stuck in the mud Dallas has looked of late.