Who’s Playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Portland Trail Blazers
Current Records: Dallas 12-8, Portland 6-14
How To Watch
- When: Friday, December 8, 2023 at 10 p.m. ET
- Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter — Portland, Oregon
- TV: Bally Sports Southwest Plus
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $7.49
What to Know
The Mavericks have enjoyed the comforts of home their last four games, but now they’ll head out on the road. They will challenge the Portland Trail Blazers at 10:00 p.m. ET on Friday at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Trail Blazers took a loss in their last match and will be looking to turn the tables on the Mavericks, who come in off a win.
Winning is just a little bit easier when you work as a team to post 15 more assists than your opponent, a fact the Mavericks proved on Wednesday. They took their game at home with ease, bagging a 147-97 win over Utah. With that victory, the Mavericks brought their scoring average up to 119.6 points per game.
The Mavericks relied on the efforts of Kyrie Irving, who scored 26 points along with 3 steals, and Luka Doncic, who dropped a triple-double on 40 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. The contest was Doncic’s fifth in a row with at least 30 points.
Meanwhile, Portland was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Wednesday as they fell 110-106 to Golden State. The loss unfortunately continues a disappointing trend for the Trail Blazers in their matchups with the Warriors: they’ve now lost three in a row.
Shaedon Sharpe put forth a good effort for the losing side as he scored 26 points along with 6 rebounds and 5 assists.
Dallas’ win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-8. Those victories were due in large part to their offensive dominance across that stretch, as they averaged 121.0 points per game. As for Portland, they have been struggling recently, as they’ve lost 11 of their last 14 matchups, which put a noticeable dent in their 6-14 record this season.
While only the Mavericks took care of their fans the last time they played, both teams pleased bettors by covering the spread. Looking forward, the Mavericks are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by eight points. This contest will be Portland’s 21st straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 10-10 against the spread).
This contest is shaping up to be a blowout: The Mavericks haven’t had any problem running up the score this season, having averaged 119.6 points per game (they’re ranked fifth in scoring overall). It’s a different story for the Trail Blazers , though, as they’ve been averaging only 105.2 per game. The only thing between the Mavericks and another offensive beatdown is the Trail Blazers. Will they be able to keep them contained? Check CBS Sports after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more NBA content.
Odds
Dallas is a big 8-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers were right in line with the betting community on this one, as the game opened as a 8-point spread, and stayed right there.
The over/under is set at 229 points.
See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.
Series History
Dallas has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Portland.
- Jan 15, 2023 – Portland 140 vs. Dallas 123
- Jan 14, 2023 – Portland 136 vs. Dallas 119
- Dec 16, 2022 – Dallas 130 vs. Portland 110
- Nov 12, 2022 – Dallas 117 vs. Portland 112
- Apr 08, 2022 – Dallas 128 vs. Portland 78
- Jan 26, 2022 – Dallas 132 vs. Portland 112
- Dec 27, 2021 – Dallas 132 vs. Portland 117
- Mar 21, 2021 – Dallas 132 vs. Portland 92
- Mar 19, 2021 – Portland 125 vs. Dallas 119
- Feb 14, 2021 – Portland 121 vs. Dallas 118
