This weekend, the Dallas Mavericks will battle against the Los Angeles Lakers. In the Western Conference, these two teams are two of the top teams. At 46-17, the Mavericks have the 2nd best record in the conference. At 45-19, the Lakers are a game and a half behind the Mavericks in the standings.

Both teams each have high hopes going into the playoffs as they have been great as of late. Even though the Lakers have now won 7 games in a row and look like a championship contender, they were counted as dead by a lot of experts. The Mavericks have now won 9 of their last 10 games and also many people thought that the Mavericks were on their way out.

They each like to run a half court offense as these teams are similar in that. Even though the Mavericks have learned to win games on the defensive side of the court, the Lakers have an offense that is a bit more potent. Between two great teams this game should be a good battle.

In this game Andrew Bynum will be a major factor. He has been rebounding the ball extremely well while he has not scored many points in the last few games. As he has a decided size advantage over Tyson Chandler, he has the potential to dominate the boards in this game.

The Lakers will need a win in this game to do it as they are really shooting to pass the Mavericks. If these teams meet in the playoffs, the Lakers will have home court advantage if they pass the Mavericks.

To win the NBA Championship this season, LA and Dallas are among the favorites in Basketball Picks.