Portland Trail Blazers (9-19) vs. Dallas Mavericks (18-10)
December 23, 2024 8:30 pm EDT
The Line: Dallas Mavericks -10.5; Over/Under: +228
(Get latest betting odds)
The Portland Trail Blazers invade the American Airlines Center to battle the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night. Here’s a Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction. This article will include a Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers Pick.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been in a slump as they’ve lost nine of their last 11 games overall and they will be eager to bounce back after getting trampled by the Spurs in a 114-94 road defeat on Saturday. Shaedon Sharpe led the team with 25 points on 11 of 16 shooting, Anfernee Simons added 18 points with six assists and five steals while Deandre Ayton chipped in with 14 points on seven of 11 shooting.
As a team, the Trail Blazers shot just 39 percent from the field and 12 of 43 from the 3-point line as they struggled to match the Spurs from the start and got outpaced in every quarter to lose by double digits. Jerami Grant had a rough game as he scored just five points on two of 12 shooting while Deni Avdija scored just seven points on two of 12 shooting off the bench.
Dallas Mavericks
Meanwhile, the Dallas Mavericks have been on a great run as they’ve won 13 of their last 16 games overall and they will be eager to keep it going after routing the Clippers in a 113-97 home win on Saturday. Quentin Grimes led the team with 20 points on seven of eight shooting off the bench, Klay Thompson added 16 points on six of nine shooting while Spencer Dinwiddie and Kyrie Irving each scored 15 points.
As a team, the Mavericks shot 45 percent from the field and 14 of 35 from the 3-point line as they played great defense to hold the Clippers to just 18 points in the second quarter to take the early lead before they poured in 39 points in the fourth quarter to run away with it in the end.
Why the Dallas Mavericks will win
- The favorites have won each of the last 11 games between the Trail Blazers and Mavericks.
- The Trail Blazers have lost 14 of their last 15 night games against Southwest Division opponents that held a winning record.
- The favorites have covered the spread in each of the last eight games between the Trail Blazers and Mavericks.
- The Trail Blazers have failed to cover the spread in each of their last five games against Mavericks teams that held a winning record.
Total Points Facts
- Ten of the Mavericks’ last 11 home night games following a home win have gone UNDER the total points line.
- Seven of the Trail Blazers’ last eight road games against Western Conference opponents have gone UNDER the total points line.
Portland Trail Blazers Player Facts
- Anfernee Simons ranks 2nd in the Western Conference amongst qualified players for FT% (90.7%) this season.
- Deandre Ayton ranks 8th in the Western Conference amongst qualified players for FG% (55.5%) this season.
Matchup/League Facts
- The Mavericks rank 2nd in the league for Q4 points per game this season (29.1).
- The Mavericks rank 3rd in the league for Q2 opponent points per game this season (26.3).
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for opponent blocks per game this season (6.6).
- The Trail Blazers rank 30th in the league for Q1 points per game this season (23.7).
Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers Prediction
The Trail Blazers are keeping an eye on Dalano Banton who is questionable, while the Mavericks have listed Luka Doncic as questionable for this one. The Trail Blazers haven’t had too much to cheer about this season and things haven’t gotten much better over the last 11 games where they’ve lost nine, so it’s no surprise that the Mavericks are big favorites at home where they just smashed the Clippers by 26 points. Regardless of whether Doncic plays or not, I have the Mavericks winning this one comfortably to get the win and cover.
