The Los Angeles Lakers are the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference, and they begin the front end of a back-to-back on Sunday against the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Los Angeles Lakers' court for the NBA Cup is a late scratch for Friday's game.

BOTTOM LINE: New Orleans hits the road against Los Angeles looking to stop its four-game road skid. The Lakers are 11-3 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles is the top team in the Western Conference averaging 53.3 points in the paint. Deandre Ayton leads the Lakers scoring 13.8.

The Lakers have connected on 48.4% of their 3-pointers in their last two games after starting the season as one of the league’s worst 3-point shooting teams.

The Los Angeles Lakers have rediscovered their rhythm after an opening-night loss to the Golden State Warriors. Now 13–4 and sitting second in the Western Conference, the team has been fuelled by Luka Dončić’s MVP-level play,

Anthony Davis of the Mavericks will return after missing the last 14 games with a calf strain. For the Lakers, center Deandre Ayton was listed as probable after missing the second half of Sunday's game and all of Tuesday's contest with a knee contusion. He has been upgraded to available.

The Los Angeles Lakers (13-4) have thrived this season despite injuries to superstars LeBron James and Luka Doncic, which is partially thanks to veteran wing Rui Hachimura. The 27-year-old is averaging 14.9 points on 56.8 percent shooting (48.3 percent 3-point) with 3.9 rebounds in 33.4 minutes this season.

Saturday night at Intuit Dome in Inglewood, California. Tip is scheduled for 10 p.m. ET. Let's analyze BetMGM Sportsbook's NBA odds around the Mavericks vs. Clippers odds and make our expert NBA picks and predictions for the best bets.