Home teams have won five of the last six meetings between Dallas and Portland, a trend the Mavericks hope continues Friday when they host Damian Lillard and the Trail Blazers. Kristaps Porzingis could be back in the lineup for the Mavs after missing nine games with knee soreness.
- Date/Time: January 17, 9:30 p.m. ET
- Arena: American Airlines Center
- TV Coverage: ESPN, NBC Sports Northwest, Fox Southwest, TSN
- Sportsbook Odds: Mavericks -5.5 / O/U 228.5
- Trail Blazers vs Mavericks Matchup Report
Sportsbook Odds Analysis
Oddsmakers delayed posting a line on this game, likely because of Porzingis’ uncertain status. Dallas was a 3-point favorite when the Trail Blazers visited the Mavs in October and won 121-119.
Portland News & Notes
It’s only mid-January, but the Blazers are already bringing more intensity to the court these days as they try to fight their way back into the Western Conference postseason picture.
“We’ve dug ourselves quite the hole with inconsistent play, injuries, bad losses, lots of losses in a row,” guard C.J. McCollum told reporters about Portland’s 18-24 start, which has the Blazers sitting 10th in the West — but just 1.5 games behind Memphis for the eighth and final playoff spot.
That sense of urgency was on display Wednesday in Houston as Portland held the Rockets to just 40 percent shooting in a 117-107 upset, bottling up NBA scoring leader James Harden and holding him to a season-low 13 points. Each of the Blazers’ starters scored at least 10 points, and Damian Lillard, McCollum, Hassan Whiteside and Carmelo Anthony all collected at least 18. Portland has now posted SU wins in three of its last five road games, although the Blazers are still just 3-7 ATS in their last 10 as the visitors.
Dallas News & Notes
The question these days in Dallas isn’t whether Luka Doncic will get a triple-double, but rather how quickly he’ll get it. The second-year phenom needed less than 20 minutes to turn the trick Wednesday in Sacramento, finishing with 25 points, 15 rebounds and 17 assists in the Mavs’ 127-123 victory over the Kings. Doncic now has 12 triple-doubles on the season and 20 in his first 109 career games.
Things could get easier for Doncic on Friday if Kristaps Porzingis returns to action after missing nine games with knee soreness. Porzingis, who was a late scratch Wednesday against the Kings, has scored at least 10 points in 12 straight games and cracked the 20-point plateau in five of them, also adding double-digit rebound totals in five of his last eight. Forward Dwight Powell has stepped up his game in Porzingis’ absence, shooting better than 80 percent from the field in his last seven games and averaging 19 points in his last three.
Betting Pick: Trail Blazers +5.5
Dallas is playing its third game in four nights, and the fresher Blazers should be able to keep things close with another strong defensive effort on the road.
- The UNDER is 10-2 in Portland’s last 12 games on the road.
- Dallas is 2-7-1 ATS in its last 10 games at home.
- Dallas is 8-3 ATS in its last 11 home games against Portland.
