The Portland Trail Blazers are looking to extend their two-game winning streak as they host the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center for a two-game set. It’s time to continue our NBA odds series and make a Mavericks-Blazers prediction and pick.
The Mavericks are holding a record of 21-18 as they are coming off a big win against the Los Angeles Clippers. They are currently sitting one-game behind the 7th seed and will look to finish the second half of the season strong in order to hopefully secure a spot in the playoffs.
The Blazers are 24-16 after sweeping the two-game set against the New Orleans Pelicans behind back-to-back strong performances from their All-Star Damian Lillard. The team has performed well so far this season and will look to continue their momentum as they recently also welcomed back their other star in C.J. McCollum.
Here’s how sportsbooks have set the opening Mavericks-Blazers odds.
NBA Odds: Mavericks-Blazers Odds
Dallas Mavericks -3 (-115)
Portland Trail Blazers +3 (-105)
Over 234 Points (-110)
Under 234 Points(-110)
Why The Mavericks Could Cover The Spread
After a slow start to the season, the Mavericks have turned a corner and have won four of their five games since the All-Star break.
The dynamic duo of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis continues to impress everyone for the Mavericks. The two players are combining for nearly 50 points per game while shooting the ball with efficiency at 50% from the field and 35% from behind the three-point line; as well as tacking on 10 assists and 17 rebounds per game.
The problem for the Mavericks hasn't been with their two stars but rather the inconsistent production from their bench and with guys like Tim Hardaway Jr. and Jalen Brunson. With Dorian Finney-Smith out, the Mavericks will need these players to step up off the bench in addition to their other starters Josh Richardson and Maxi Kleber.
If these key role players are able to take advantage of open looks when the opponents double Luka Doncic or Kristaps Prozingis, the Mavericks are a really dangerous and tough team to stop.
In the last meeting between these two teams, Luka Doncic dropped 44 points in a three-point loss to the Blazers because of poor performance from the rest of the team including Kristaps Porzingis. That said, if the Mavericks want to win, they'll need contributions from everyone including all the starters and players off the bench.
Why The Blazers Could Cover The Spread
The Blazers have some momentum with them as they come off two big wins against the New Orlean Pelicans.
In those two games, the Blazers star Damian Lillard dropped 50 points and 36 points while roughly five other players contributed double-digit points each game.
The Blazers also welcomed back C.J. McCollum for those two games who was on a minutes-limit but still definitely had his presence felt on the floor. Despite only contributing 10 and 11 points in the two games, C.J. McCollum's presence on the offensive end of the floor makes the Blazers more dangerous by helping free up Lillard and taking some of the pressure off of Lillard to constantly run the offense for the team.
Damian Lillard and the Blazers will need the rest of the team to step up and contribute on the offensive end especially against a very talented Mavericks team with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. That said, the Blazers allow the fifth-most points in the league and the whole team will need to step up to try to contain and slow down Luka and Kristaps. If the Blazers are able to do those two things, they should be in a really good position to cover the spread and win the game.
Final Mavericks-Blazers Prediction & Pick
After a disappointing loss in the last meeting between the two teams, expect Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis to each come out and have a big game tonight, especially Porzingis who also had a very poor offensive showing that game and only contributed 18 points in 31 minutes of action. Barring a huge game from Damian Lillard, due to the Blazers' poor defensive history and the Mavs offensive firepower in Luka and Kristaps, Dallas will take the first of the two-game set between the two teams.
FINAL SCORE PREDICTION & PICK FOR MAVERICKS-BLAZERS: MAV 116, POR 112 (MAV -3)
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