Blazers Hoping For Dame Time Again vs Mavericks

Damian Lillard is coming off a blistering 61-point performance, but Portland’s depth has been decimated by injuries. Hosting a strong Dallas team that Portland has struggled to cover the spread against recently, the Blazers find themselves as 2-point home underdogs. 

Sportsbook Odds Analysis

Dallas opened as a 2-point road favorite, which is not surprising as it is one of the league’s top road teams, with a 14-5 record. The Mavericks have played well at Portland recently, as well, and the Trail Blazers have been absolutely decimated by injuries. With both teams in the top half of the league offensively and the total going OVER in four of their last five meetings, the total for this game opened at 229.5 points.

Dallas News & Notes

The Mavericks saw forward Kristaps Porzingis return to the lineup Monday following a 10-game absence, but their four-game winning streak was snapped with a 110-107 loss to the Clippers — and they also lost an important piece of their frontcourt rotation.

Center Dwight Powell went down with a non-contact injury late in the first quarter of Monday’s loss. It was revealed to be a ruptured right Achilles tendon, which will cost him the rest of the season. While Luka Doncic still drives the offense, Powell was responsible for 9.4 points, 5.7 rebounds and 26.5 minutes per game, which the Mavericks will need to replace.

It’s not entirely known how Dallas will redistribute the frontcourt minutes but look for Maxi Kleber and Boban Marjanovic to see an increase in minutes, starting Thursday at Portland, where Dallas has covered the spread in six of its last seven visits.

Portland News & Notes

In a season that’s at the precipice of coming unraveled, the Blazers’ changes continue to pile up. Guard CJ McCollum has missed the last two games due to a sprained left ankle, while Kent Bazemore and Anthony Tolliver were traded to Sacramento for Trevor Ariza. However, as the deal wasn’t finalized, none of those three were eligible to play in Sunday’s home game against the Golden State Warriors.

With a depleted bench, Damian Lillard took over, scoring a franchise-record 61 points in a 129-124 win over the Western Conference’s last-place team. Even with the feel-good win, it doesn’t change the fact that Portland has been in a major funk, winning just five of its last 15 games, while covering the spread just once in its last six contests and failing to cover the spread in any of its last six at the Moda Center.

While Ariza’s trade is now finalized and he is likely to join the team for Thursday’s game against Dallas, McCollum is still questionable with his ankle injury, meaning Lillard will need to have another big game if the Blazers want to come away with a win.

Betting Pick: Mavericks -2

Damian Lillard is a nightmare for any team to guard, but Portland is desperately thin with available talent right now. It was able to get by against Golden State, but it won’t be enough against a dangerous Dallas squad.