The Los Angeles Lakers will look for their ninth consecutive home win Monday night as they round out the NBA's Martin Luther King Jr. Day schedule with a battle against the Dallas Mavericks, the team that swept the Lakers out of the playoffs last season. Here are the relevant details of the game that will feature Lamar Odom's return to Los Angeles.
Records: Lakers (9-5), Mavericks (8-5)
Location: Staples Center, in downtown Los Angeles
Time: 7:30 p.m.
TV: TNT, with Marv Albert, Steve Kerr, Reggie Miller, and Craig Sager on the broadcast. In addition, TNT's "Inside the NBA" studio crew of Ernie Johnson, Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, and Shaquille O`Neal are broadcasting live from Staples Center all day.
Offensive Efficiency: Lakers, 103.2 points per 100 possessions (12th in NBA); Mavericks, 101.8 (18th)
Defensive Efficiency: Mavericks, 96.8 (fourth); Lakers 98.9 (sixth)
Streak One: Kobe Bryant has scored 40 or more points in each of his last four games. The last time he had a longer streak was a five-game streak in March 2007.
Streak Two: Dallas comes to town on a five-game winning streak, outscoring their opponents by 19.8 points per contest.
Streak Three: The Lakers have won their last eight home games, with their only home loss coming on Christmas Day to the Chicago Bulls. The Lakers are 18-4 all-time in the regular season at Staples Center against the Mavericks.
Streak Four: The number of games it took Dallas to eliminate the Lakers from the playoffs last season, which is first and foremost on the minds of several Lakers.
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