Dallas meets Portland for the first time this term. The Mavericks are without Grant Williams (knee), Josh Green (elbow), and Maxi Kleber (toe), while the Trail Blazers miss Robert Williams III (knee) and Ish Wainright (knee). Portland listed Malcolm Brogdon, Jerami Grant, and Deandre Ayton as questionable.

The Mavs just destroyed Utah

The Dallas Mavericks (12-8; 10-10 ATS) snapped a two-game skid last Wednesday. After a couple of losses to the Memphis Grizzlies 108-94 and the Oklahoma City Thunder 126-120, the Mavs dismantled the Utah Jazz 147-97 to wrap up a four-game homestand.
Luka Doncic went bonkers against Utah, becoming the third NBA player with a first-half triple-double since 2000. He finished the game with 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists, while Kyrie Irving had 26 points and four assists.

The Mavericks have gone just 3-5 SU and ATS over their last eight games. They are 3-3 SU and ATS in the last six outings on the road, and four of those six contests have gone over the total. Dallas owns the fifth-highest offensive rating in the league (119.2) but surrenders 116.5 points per 100 possessions (23rd).

The Mavs lean on 3-point shooting. They make 16.1 triples per 100 possessions (1st) on a 37.5 percentage clip (tied-7th). Doncic, who’s scored 30 or more points in five straight games, makes 3.9 triples a night (39.5 3P%).

The Trail Blazers hope to stop a two-game slide

The Portland Trail Blazers (6-14; 10-10 ATS) just finished a five-game road trip with a 2-3 SU and 4-1 ATS record. They’ve dropped two in a row at the Utah Jazz 118-113 in overtime and the Golden State Warriors 110-106.
Last Wednesday, the Blazers took the Warriors down to the wire and covered a 12.5-point spread. Portland had a six-point lead with 5:32 to go in the fourth quarter but couldn’t make the stops in the crunch time. The Trail Blazers went 16-for-46 from downtown and committed just ten turnovers.

Anfernee Simmons (thumb) dropped 28 points on Golden State in his first game since Portland’s season opener. Shaedon Sharpe had 26 points, six rebounds, and five assists in 42 minutes on the floor against the Warriors, and he’s now averaging 18.1 points, 5.6 boards, and 3.5 assists on the season.

The Trail Blazers own the lowest offensive rating in the NBA (106.2) and rank 12th in defensive efficiency (112.9). They allow just 10.5 triples per 100 possessions (2nd) on a 32.9 percentage clip (also 2nd).