Dallas Mavericks (40-26) vs. Los Angeles Lakers (52-13) NBA Picks: This past week, the Los Angeles Lakers proved that they are still the best team in the Western Conference by defeating both the (43-25) Houston Rockets (3rd in the West) and the (44-21) San Antonio Spurs (2nd in the West) on back-to-back nights and on the road.
This afternoon, beginning at 3:30 PM ET (12:30 PM PT), the Lake-Show is back at the STAPLES Center as they host a team once considered legitimate Western Conference contenders, the Dallas Mavericks .
Oddsmakers at SBGglobal.com have posted the absolute best Sports Odds for this NBA Picks matchup, which as expected favor the purple and gold, Los Angeles Lakers [-8½], when they welcome the visiting underdogs, Dallas Mavericks [+8½] on ABC-Sports. 
The Mavericks come into this huge test, fighting to hold on to the 8th and final spot in the Western Conference playoff standings.
Currently with a 5 game lead on the 9th seeded Phoenix Suns, today’s game might very well be preview of the first round of this year’s Western Conference playoffs. The OVER/UNDER for this, Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers NBA Picks has been set at a combined total of 211 points.
LA cinched a playoff spot and in turn captured the Pacific Division title with the impressive 102-95 win over the San Antonio Spurs this week. "Oh yeah," reigning MVP Kobe Bryant joked, "We're really big on Pacific Division titles."
The Lakers main objective for the regular season continues to be capturing the best record in the NBA, and thus, home-court advantage through the playoffs. The Lakers and the Cavaliers are tied for the best record in the league, but if the regular season ended today, LA would claim the best record by virtue of winning their head-to-head regular season series 2-0.
