NBA game of the week in is the Dallas Mavericks traveling to Portland to take on the Portland Trail Blazers Saturday night at 10:00 pm EST.
Dallas Mavericks
The Mavericks have had an up and down season, to say the least. They currently sit at 21-18, good for the eighth seed in the western conference after winning four of their last six games and splitting a two-game series with the Clippers.
While it’s not the stats we’ve become accustomed to seeing from star guard Luka Doncic, he is still having a great year averaging 27 points, eight assists, and nine rebounds per game on the season. His supporting cast has been mediocre at best, with big man Kristaps Porzingis missing multiple chunks of games this season and the inconsistent play from Tim Hardaway Jr. and Maxi Kleber.
Both of those previously named players are averaging below 15 points a game, and they both play north of 28 minutes per game. When healthy, Kristaps Porzingis is easily the second-hand man to Doncic, “The Unicorn” averages 20 points and nine rebounds a game when he’s healthy and able to play at least 30 minutes.
The Mavericks are going to either have to make a move before the trade deadline to get Luka some more help or have their players step up for the stretch run into the playoffs, especially because they are fighting the Warriors, Spurs, and Grizzlies for the last two spots in the western conference.
Portland Trail Blazers
The Trail Blazers, on the other hand, are having a surprising year, to say the least. With Damian Lillard being an MVP candidate and doing Damian Lillard things, keeping the team afloat even with his right hand, CJ McCollum, also missing a large chunk, eight weeks to be exact, of the season.
The Blazers currently sit at 23-16, good for the sixth seed in the western conference. With big man Zach Collins not set to return anytime soon from reconstructive surgery, the Blazers have turned to Damian Lillard time and time again and time and time again; he has delivered tenfold.
Damian Lillard has been spectacular this season; just the other night on Tuesday, the Blazers were down 17 points with a little over four minutes left, and they turned to Lillard, and he delivered in the form of a 50 point outburst and, more importantly, a huge comeback win against the conference rival Pelicans.
Damian is averaging 30 points, four rebounds, and eight assists on the season and is the Blazers’ only hope to make the playoffs and make a playoff run.
Schedule
Catch the NBA game of the week between the Dallas Mavericks and the Portland Trail Blazers on NBA League pass or your local NBC Sports channel Saturday, March 20th at 10:00 pm EST.
