NBA 2018-19, Portland Trail Blazers vs Dallas Mavericks: Preview and prediction
Portland Trail Blazers (18-14) vs Dallas Mavericks (15-16), Moda Center
Portland Trail Blazers will host the Dallas Mavericks tonight at the Moda Center in Portland.
Blazers are coming off a blow out loss against the Utah Jazz, whereas Mavericks lost their previous match to the Golden State Warriors.
Let us see how things stand for both teams.
The Portland Trail Blazers' perspective
The Blazers have been up and down this season and need some consistency right now.
They had a massive loss to the Jazz and were able to score only 90 points in that game. No player in the team had more than 20 points. The two starts, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, were kept quiet in the entirety of the match and scored 19 and 13 points respectively.
As a team, they are averaging 111 points and shooting 45.8% from the field. They are grabbing 47.9 rebounds per game and shooting 37.8% from beyond the arc.
Blazers desperately need a win here, and they are at home which probably supports their case.
The Dallas Mavericks' perspective
Mavericks would want to avoid their 6th straight loss tonight. They have been in a slump for some time now and would be eying to get back on the winning track.
Dallas lost to the Warriors by 4 points in their last game. Wesley Mathews was the leading scorer with 25 points. Luka Doncic, the rookie, again impressed us with his 19 points and five assists. Seven players were in double figures, proving that the lineup is quite broad.
As a team, Mavericks are averaging 110.2 points and shooting 45.6% from the field. They are grabbing 45.4 rebounds per game and shooting 35.7% from beyond the arc.
Mavericks have a terrible record on the road and would be looking to improve it.
Injury updates
Blazers: None
Mavericks:
Dennis Smith Jr. - Out
How things might unfold
Dallas are very low on confidence and desperately need a win here. However, it is will be quite challenging to beat the Blazers at home as they have been an entirely different team at the Moda Center.
I would give this one to the Blazers.
Prediction: Blazers to beat Mavericks
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