NBA, Dallas Mavericks - Portland Trail Blazers prediction

Portland Trail Blazers

After one day off, the Portland Trail Blazers fly to Dallas, where they will face the local Mavericks team. The Trail Blazers had a tough time with the Kings players in their last match, which they won 122-112. Damian Lillard was unstoppable, scoring 35 points and shooting 60% from the field. Moreover, several of those shots were “from the logo,” showing that Lillard's form has been at a high level since the start of the season. Former Miami Heat big man Hassan Whiteside, who joined the team in the offseason, also played well. He grabbed 9 rebounds and scored 22 points, shooting an impressive 90% from the field.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jf19vnyS-_A

For the first time in 18 years, the Trail Blazers lost their season opener at home against the Denver Nuggets. Currently, they have 1 win and 1 loss. Damian Lillard is averaging 33.5 points and is the undisputed leader of the team. In the games played, the Portland team averages 111 points but does not shine in defense, allowing almost the same, 110 points per game.

Pau Gasol and Jusuf Nurkic are still unable to play for the Portland team.

Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks also had a one-day break between games. On the night from Friday to Saturday, the Texans played against the New Orleans Pelicans and won 123-116 on the road. Last year's best NBA rookie Luka Dončić recorded a triple-double, scoring 25 points, grabbing 10 rebounds, and dishing out 10 assists. Dončić made 10 of 19 shots and played more than 37 minutes. Latvian Kristaps Porzingis, who missed the entire last season due to injury, also shows good form and looks solid – he contributed 24 points and 5 blocked shots in the win against the Pelicans. Backup point guard Delon Wright also surprised, coming off the bench to score 20 points and grab 7 rebounds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NyZ5tR8LcHs

The Mavericks currently have 2 wins against the Wizards and Pelicans and have not yet experienced a loss. Dončić is showing MVP-worthy form at the start of the season, shooting almost 58% from the field and averaging 29.5 points over 2 games. Undoubtedly, one of the best duos in the league with Porzingis will be hard to stop this season, and Porzingis is already showing that it won't take long to recover from his injury – the Latvian is averaging 23.5 points.

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Overall, the Dallas team was one of the highest-scoring teams in the first games – the Mavericks players averaged 115.5 points per game but also allowed a lot, 108 points. However, at least for now, this style of play is paying off.

Head-to-Head History

In the head-to-head history of these teams, home-court advantage is very important. The last 5 meetings were won by the team playing at home. 3 times out of 5, it was the Mavericks, and 2 times the Trail Blazers won. All 5 meetings were also high-scoring, with the lowest total points being 203 and the highest 244.

Injured Players

For the Dallas Mavericks, we will not see Dwight Powell and Ryan Broekhoff tonight;

For the Trail Blazers, Pau Gasol and Jusuf Nurkic will not play tonight.

Prediction

This will be a very interesting match, featuring 4 potential All-Star candidates: Luka Dončić, Kristaps Porzingis, Damian Lillard, and C.J. McCollum. All of them can play impressively on a good day, and much will depend on which team's stars are more solid. Interestingly, Portland strengthened with strong mid-level players this offseason – Rodney Hood and Hassan Whiteside, who are solid in defense but can also play well if needed.

Currently, the match lines are 220 points over/under and -2.5 offered Mavericks advantage with a 1.9 coefficient. Essentially, the lines are logical, but considering how important home-court advantage is in these teams' meetings and how well the Mavericks look at the start of the season, it's hard not to expect their victory. C.J. McCollum has not shown good play so far, and Lillard alone may not be enough to win this away game. It is likely that the match will be high-scoring, and at the end, the Mavericks will celebrate a home victory by more than 2 points.