A five-game home winless streak could come to an end for the Dallas Mavericks (34-35) with a victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers (36-34). Action gets underway at 4:00 pm ET on Sunday, Mar. 20 and can be seen on FSW and CNW.
The Mavericks are expecting a better outcome after their 130-112 loss to the Warriors on Friday. Dirk Nowitzki was the team’s leading scorer with 24 points. The Trail Blazers, meanwhile, are coming off a 117-112 win over the Pelicans on Friday. Damian Lillard led the game in scoring with 33 points on 9-for-19 shooting.
Over the last five games, Nowitzki has taken his game to another level for the Mavericks, averaging 24.4 points, 7.8 rebounds, 2.6 assists, 0.6 steals, 1.6 blocks, and 2.0 three-pointers.
Dallas should be expected to protect the ball well in this contest. They rank second in the NBA at avoiding errors (turnover percentage of 12.6%). Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers force the fifth-fewest turnovers in the league (12.6%).
This will be the second matchup of the season between these two teams. The Mavericks won the first game 115-112. Deron Williams was the game’s leading scorer with 30 points.
The Mavericks are trying to improve upon their records of 34-35 Straight Up (SU) and 35-32-2 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 34-35 SU and 35-32-2 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Dallas has been steady from the free throw line, shooting a stellar .795. Few teams in the league have a higher assist-to-turnover ratio than Dallas, which ranks fourth at 1.80. Portland has a habit of getting in foul trouble (22.3 fouls per game), so expect the Mavericks to get a number of opportunities from the free throw line.
Across the court, the Trail Blazers have 35-34 SU and 39-30 ATS records. Portland has records of 35-34 SU and 39-30 ATS against the West. Portland is one of the top three-point shooting teams in the league, hitting 10.0 shots from three-point range per game. The Trail Blazers are a force on the boards, grabbing an average of 45.6 rebounds per game.
In their previous meeting this season, Dallas beat Portland, bringing its SU record to 7-3 over the Trail Blazers in the last 10 games. Furthermore, with a 7-3 record, the Mavericks have the advantage ATS.
Predictions: SU Winner – Por
Notes
“Dallas is 2-6 ATS in its last 8 games “.
“Dallas is 1-7 SU in its last 8 games “.
“The total has gone OVER in 12 of Dallas’s last 17 games “.
“The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Dallas’s last 6 games “.
“Dallas is 0-5 ATS in its last 5 games at home”.
“Dallas is 0-5 SU in its last 5 games at home”.
“The total has gone OVER in 9 of Dallas’s last 12 games at home”.
“Dallas is 9-3 ATS in its last 12 games when playing Portland”.
“Dallas is 12-5 SU in its last 17 games when playing Portland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 11 of Dallas’s last 16 games when playing Portland”.
“Dallas is 5-1 ATS in its last 6 games when playing at home against Portland”.
“Dallas is 11-2 SU in its last 13 games when playing at home against Portland”.
“The total has gone OVER in 7 of Dallas’s last 8 games when playing at home against Portland”.
Portland’s offense and Dallas’ defense are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per game and points allowed per game respectively. Portland scores an average of 0.0 points per game, while Dallas allows 0.0 points per game.
Portland and Dallas are well matched, ranking zeroth in points per away game and points allowed at home respectively. Portland scores an average of 0.0 points on the road, while Dallas gives up 0.0 points at home on average.
In games where they allow fewer than 100 points, the Dallas Mavericks are a stellar 21-5. In games where they fail to hit triple digits, the Portland Trail Blazers have a subpar record of 4-18.
When allowing 100 or more points in a game, the Mavericks are just 13-30 this season. Portland is a solid 32-16 when it hits the century mark.
The Trail Blazers have a defensive rating of 106.1 (ranked 21st). The Mavericks rank 10th for their offensive rating of 104.9.
Portland beats Dallas in both possessions per game and points per possession. The Trail Blazers average 98.1 possessions and 1.063 points per possession, while the Mavericks average 97.7 possessions with 1.049 points per possession.
The Portland Trail Blazers have one of the best effective field goal percentages this season, ranking eighth in the league with an EFF% of 51.0%. When their opponents record a similar or higher EFF%, the Dallas Mavericks have a poor 8-23 record.
On average, the Dallas Mavericks attempt 28.0 three point field goals per game and the Portland Trail Blazers attempt 28.0 per game. In games where they attempt at least 25 threes, Dallas has a 24-26 record and Portland has a 28-24 record.
Dallas has an assist to turnover ratio of 1.80 this season (ranked fourth), while Portland ranks lower at 21st with an A/TO of 1.51.
The Portland Trail Blazers are one of the best rebounding teams in the league, earning 45.6 rebounds per game (ranked fifth). The Dallas Mavericks rank 20th, rebounding 42.9 times each contest.
The Portland Trail Blazers are among the best offensive rebounding teams in the league (ranked fifth). The Dallas Mavericks are in the top half of NBA teams in defensive rebounding (ranked eighth).
Portland has forced an average turnover rate of 12.6% this season. In games where their turnover rate is 12.6% or higher, Dallas is an even 18-18.
