The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at American Airlines Center on Thursday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Mavericks (31-26), as they are coming off a convincing home win over the Pistons on Wednesday. The contest got out to a high-scoring start, as the Mavs trailed, 36-33, after one quarter. However, they took control in the second, where they outscored the visitors by 12, to take a nine-point lead into halftime. The pace picked up in the third, but the Mavs held the edge and led by 10, heading into the final frame. They maintained control through the final frame and closed out the home win, ending a two-game slide. Luka Doncic led the way, with 30 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and two steals. Jalen Brunson followed up with 20 points, five assists and three rebounds, while Kristaps Porzingis logged 19 points, seven assists, four rebounds and three steals. The Mavs will look to keep the momentum going and continue building on their, 14-14, home record, as they face the fourth game of a five-game home stand.

Meanwhile, the Lakers (35-23) are coming off a loss in their most recent contest, but they have gone, 5-5, in their last 10 games. They will look to get back on track and add to their, 18-10, road record, as they face the first game of a four-game road trip. The Lakers remain without LeBron James (ankle), but they are finally expecting Anthony Davis to make his return, after a two-month absense. Dennis Schroder (foot) is averaging 15.4 points, 5.5 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game, and is listed as probable for action on Thursday, while Andre Drummond (toe) is averaging 16.2 points, 12.5 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 1.0 blocks per game, and is also listed as probable. Montrezl Harrell is averaging 13.9 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. The Lakers do a good job on the defensive end, as they are holding opponents to an average of 106.1 points per game, which is second fewest in the league. However, they need to do a better job of taking care of the ball, as they are giving up an average of 15.0 turnovers per game, which is second most in the league.