Home is where the heart is.

And that’s okay. Jason Kidd isn’t too worried about the Mavericks’ heart. He knows it’s not a problem.

But right now, as his team begins a four-game stay to hopefully eat some home cooking at the American Airlines Center, the Mavericks coach is more worried about health. An improvement in this department would make everything better.

The Mavericks will face LeBron James and the Los Angeles Lakers for the first time this season on Tuesday evening (6:30 p.m.).

It is the first of two visits by the Lakers to Dallas in the regular season. However, the second game will take place on April 9th ​​and will be the Lakers’ second straight night and third game in four days. At this time when everyone, but especially older players, has to stay due to injury, the MFFLs must be aware of the possibility that this could be James’ last trip to AAC, although a playoff series is always possible.

Or James could go on for another five years, depending on how well he played just days after turning 40^Th Birthday.

James has continued to hold his own against Father Time, averaging 24 points, 8.9 assists and 7.6 rebounds while shooting 39 percent from three-point land.

These numbers would be sensational for any 30-year-old. At 40, they are nothing short of otherworldly.

And he’s as healthy as any superstar yet, having missed just three games this season as it approaches the halfway point. Additionally, the Lakers’ other star player, Anthony Davis, has only missed two games and is outscoring James with 26 points and 11.8 rebounds per game.

The Mavericks? They knew they would be without Luka Dončić until sometime this month with a left calf injury, and now Kyrie Irving (lumbar sprain) is out indefinitely.

To make matters worse, center Daniel Gafford sprained his ankle in the Mavericks’ 119-104 loss to the Grizzlies in Memphis. He is expected to miss some time.

Going into battle without that kind of firepower is difficult in the NBA. But no one will feel sorry for the Mavericks.

The best advice they can get is to try to take care of business if possible. They have eight of their next 11 games at home. And several lottery-bound teams are on the upcoming schedule. Win the games you want them to win and don’t lose touch with the Western Conference leaders. And they know they have a championship-caliber team if they get everyone healthy and playing well before the playoffs.

However, they could use some love from the injury gods.

Here’s what else to look out for before Tuesday’s game against the Lakers:

• The Lakers are coming off Sunday’s 119-115 loss in Houston, in which Anthony Davis had 30 points and 13 rebounds and James had 21 points and 13 rebounds. They had previously won seven of their previous nine games, including all three away games.
• New Laker Dorian Finny-Smith has been a sixth man while providing his usual three-and-D skills. He had 13 points and two steals against Houston and in the last two games after settling in, he made four of nine three-pointers. Finney-Smith played his first 6½ NBA seasons with the Mavericks before being traded to Brooklyn as part of the Kyrie Irving deal. He remains a fan favorite in Dallas and is now in his best surroundings since being traded to Brooklyn.
• The Mavericks will need to see plenty of action from a short rotation of players, including Dereck Lively, who has gotten stronger game by game since returning from a hip injury. He averaged 10.3 points, nine rebounds and 3.3 assists in three games. Against Memphis on Monday, he had 14 points and 12 rebounds. He also equaled his season high with four blocked shots.
• The Mavericks are on their first five-game losing streak since January 2021, when they lost six games in a row.
• The Lakers could be poised to move up in the Western Conference standings. After the Mavericks, they play five straight and seven of their next eight games at home.

LOS ANGELES LAKERS (20-15) and MAVERICKS (20-16)

WHEN: 6:30 p.m

WHERE: American Airlines Center, Dallas

TV: TNT.

RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko