NBA Odds: Trail Blazers (even)
The Dallas Mavericks (40-22) head to Portland (39-19) to take on the Trail Blazers in a matchup that pits the third-ranked offense against the third-ranked defense. The game gets underway at 10:30 pm ET on Thursday, Mar. 5 and will air on TNT.
The Trail Blazers beat the Kings 110-99 on Sunday. Damian Lillard led all scorers with 31 points on 11-for-20 shooting. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are coming off a 102-93 win over the Pelicans on Monday. Richard Jefferson stood out, accumulating 16 points, five rebounds, and one block.
It will be a matchup of strength versus strength, as the high-powered offense of the Mavericks (third in the NBA with an offensive efficiency of 107.7) takes the court against the top-notch defense of the Trail Blazers (third in the league with a defensive efficiency of 99.6).
The two teams have split their matchups this season. The Mavericks had the upper hand in the most recent game, a 111-101 win. Lillard scored a game-high with 26 points.
Oddsmakers have deemed this game an even matchup and the Over/Under (O/U) is currently unavailable. The Trail Blazers look to build on their records of 39-19 Straight Up (SU) and 29-28-1 Against The Spread (ATS). They have gone 21-13 SU and 17-16-1 ATS against teams from the Western Conference. Portland is excellent from the perimeter with 584 three-pointers made (10.1 per game), the fifth-most in the league. Portland has an edge in the rebounding department for this game, where they rack up an average of 45.7 rebounds per game. An area where the Trail Blazers are particularly strong is defensive rebounding where they average 34.8 defensive rebounds per game, second in the NBA.
On the other side, Dallas has a SU record of 40-22 and an ATS record of 29-30-3. In Western Conference games, Dallas has gone 20-15 SU and 13-19-3 ATS. When it comes to making good decisions with the ball, not many are better than the Mavericks. They have one of the top assist-to-turnover ratios in the league at 1.8. Dallas makes opponents pay for turning the ball over, leading the league in points off turnovers with an average of 19.4 per game.
Following the Mavericks’ latest win over Portland, their SU record rises to 7-3 over the Trail Blazers in the last 10 games. Additionally, with a 7-3 record, the Mavericks have the advantage ATS. When it comes to field goals, rebounds, and three-pointers, Portland held the edge in all three of these categories three times in the last 10 meetings. Dallas did so once.
Predictions: SU Winner – POR, ATS Winner – POR
Notes
The Dallas Mavericks are among the highest-scoring squads, earning an average of 105.2 points per game (ranked fourth), while the Portland Trail Blazers are in the top half of NBA teams in points allowed with 97.5 (ranked ninth).
Dallas puts up 104.4 points per away game this season. However, Portland is the top-ranked team in points allowed at home, giving up just 93.9 per game.
When allowing fewer than 100 points, the Mavericks are 21-2 on the season. When the Trail Blazers score fewer than 100, they are a subpar 8-14.
When the Dallas Mavericks allow at least 100 points they are 19-20, while the Portland Trail Blazers are 31-5 when they reach the century mark.
Dallas’ offense and Portland’s defense both rank third this season. Dallas has an offensive rating of 107.7 and Portland has a defensive rating of 99.6.
Ranked fifth in the NBA, Dallas has an average field goal percentage of 46.3%. Portland is 8-9 when opponents have a similar or higher field goal percentage.
The Portland Trail Blazers average 27.7 three point attempts per game, and the Dallas Mavericks attempt 26.6 per game. When going for at least 25 three pointers in a game this season, both teams have winning records; Portland is 28-16 and Dallas is 28-15.
The Dallas Mavericks are among the best in the league with an assist to turnover ratio of 1.85 (ranked fourth). Ranking 13th, the Portland Trail Blazers have an A/TO of 1.65.
Portland ranks near the top of the NBA for rebounds at third (45.7 per game), while Dallas ranks 20th with 42.4 per game.
Portland is ranked second in defensive rebounds, while Dallas ranks 18th in offensive rebounds.
Dallas averages a forced turnover rate of 15.8% this season, ranked fourth in the league. Portland has an 8-9 record when they suffer a turnover rate equal to or exceeding this.
