Portland Trail Blazers vs Dallas Mavericks: Match Preview and Predictions - 17th January 2020
Match Details
Fixture: Portland Trail Blazers vs Dallas Mavericks
Date & Time: Friday, 17th January 2020 (8:30 pm ET)
Venue: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
Last Game Results
Portland Trail Blazers (18-24): 117-107 win over the Houston Rockets (15th January)
Dallas Mavericks (26-15): 127-123 win over the Sacramento Kings (15th December)
Portland Trail Blazers Preview
The Trail Blazers are coming off of a huge win over the Houston Rockets behind the double-digit contributions of all their starters. Health has not been on their side this season, and this win has surely boosted team morale after losing 7 of their last 10 games before this outing.
Despite reaching the Conference Finals last season, Portland has yet to find their footing in the playoff race. Currently 1.5 games away from eighth seed, they will look to win this one against Dallas to move closer to the Grizzlies and Spurs.
Key Player - Hassan Whiteside
Whiteside had a huge game against the Rockets as he dominated the boards with 18 rebounds to go with 18 points. He will be key to this next game against the Mavs if he wants to help his team to win in Dallas.
Luka has great chemistry with their center Powell, and containing the big man can help the Blazers limit the Mavs' offense. He should look to be wiser in reading pick-and-rolls and plays where Luka is setting up the Mavs' bigs. The center didn't have an assist last game, and he should look to at least make a few plays to fool the Mavs' defense and set up his teammates. Whiteside should also look to dominate the boards like he did last game, helping prevent Dallas from getting bonus possessions and providing his team second chance points.
Blazers Predicted Lineup
Damian Lillard, CJ McCollum, Kent Bazemore, Carmelo Anthony, Hassan Whiteside
Dallas Mavericks Preview
The Mavs survived a late 4th quarter surge of the Kings as they won by four points on the road. They continue to have a historic offensive season at 115.7, exactly two points better than the second-best offense in the league.
Dallas is currently missing All-Star forward Kristaps Porzingis due to right knee soreness and will look to keep winning without his valuable contribution on the floor. The Mavs has started out strong this season but have fallen to the sixth seed and are 5-5 in their last 10 games. Nevertheless, they have been doing quite well as a young team and are just 2.5 games away from the second seed. They will look to win this one against the Blazers at home and move closer to the top West teams.
Key Player - Luka Dončić
Wonder Boy has been stuffing the stat sheet and making history since he got in the league. This season, Luka has managed to be in the MVP race at just 20 years old and had the most votes in the first fan returns of the All-Star votes.
Last game, the 6'7" point guard broke multiple records after he ended the game with an absurd stat line of 25 points, 15 rebounds, and 17 assists. He is now the youngest player in NBA history to score a 15+ rebound and 15+ assist triple-double and the youngest ever to record a 17+ assist triple-double. Luka will continue to be key in their next game against the Portland as he helps his team race for a higher playoff seed.
Mavericks Predicted Lineup
Luka Dončić, Tim Hardaway, Jr., Dorian Finney-Smith, Maxi Kleber, Dwight Powell
Trail Blazers vs Mavericks Match Prediction
Although the Blazers are capable of defeating any top team this season, this should still be a win for the Dallas Mavericks, who are having a historic offensive season this year. The Blazers just don't have the personnel to contain Luka and the Mavs as of right now.
Where to Watch Blazers vs Mavs?
There will be live coverage of the game on ESPN. It will also be available on NBC Sports Northwest and FOX Sports Southwest. You can also stream the game via NBA League Pass.