The Portland Trail Blazers (19-22, 9-8 Home) welcome the Dallas Mavericks (24-19, 8-13 Away) Saturday in what should be a slow-paced game. Dallas topped the Los Angeles Lakers 119-115 in double overtime at Crypto.com Arena on Thursday.
With 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists, Luka Doncic led the way. The Mavericks are fourth in the Western Conference. Portland lost their fifth in a row on Thursday at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter, falling to the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-113.
Damian Lillard had 50 points in the loss, carrying the team. The Trail Blazers are 11th in the Western Conference. It’s the final meeting of the season between the teams.
Dallas will be seeking a season sweep against Portland after taking both of their earlier matchups, the most recent of which was a 130-110 victory at American Airlines Center in December 2022, their sixth straight head-to-head victory.
Doncic led the Mavericks with 33 points, nine assists, and six rebounds. Lillard had 24 points in the losing effort. The Mavs have been led this season by Doncic, who is averaging 34.3 points per game, best in the NBA. Doncic also is contributing 8.8 assists, fourth-most in the league, and 9.0 rebounds per game.
Lillard has powered the Blazers on offense, averaging 28.2 points per game. He ranks as the ninth-highest scorer in the NBA. Lillard also has recorded 7.0 assists per game. Jusuf Nurkic has posted 10.1 rebounds per game.
Half-court execution will be of utmost importance in this matchup that showcases a pair of the NBA’s slowest-paced teams, as the Mavericks are 28th in possessions per game while the Trail Blazers are 26th. The Mavericks are 6-4 in the last 10 visits to Moda Center at the Rose Quarter.
Dallas is 7-3 in the last 10 games with an average margin of -0.3 (116.7-117.0). For the season, the Mavericks are averaging 112.3 points per game, compared to 111.1 for opponents. Portland has gone 2-8 over the last 10, allowing 112.4 points per game on average while scoring only 110.5 (-1.9 margin).
MAVERICKS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Jaden Hardy: 11.4 | 7.0 | +4.4
Kemba Walker: 2.0 | 11.9 | -9.9
Points per game:
Kemba Walker: 2.0 | 8.0 | -6.0
Rebounds per game:
Dwight Powell: 4.8 | 3.8 | +1.0
TRAIL BLAZERS HOT/COLD
(Last Five | Season Average | Differential)
Points + Rebounds + Assists:
Trendon Watford: 1.0 | 10.5 | -9.5
Rebounds per game:
Jusuf Nurkic: 13.4 | 10.1 | +3.3
SportsTips’ NBA Pick:
Dallas Mavericks (+105)
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*Odds correct at time of publication, courtesy of BetMGM.
