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The Dallas Mavericks head into Portland on Saturday night for a Western Conference matchup with the Trail Blazers. The Mavericks are 15-9 on the season and have climbed the Western Conference standings despite a one-sided loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night. The Portland Trail Blazers are in full rebuilding mode this season and are 6-17 heading into this game. The opening tap is scheduled for 9:10 PM EST on Saturday. night.
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The Mavericks are set to play their fourth game in six days on Saturday as they make the trip to Portland. The team continues to play without Kyrie Irving, out with a foot injury. In his place, All-Star Luka Doncic has been putting up MVP numbers. He is averaging nearly 36 points per game in the last five games with 11.5 assists per game and 7.2 rebounds per contest. The Mavs' stretch of games did finally catch up to them on Thursday night as they fell 119-101 to the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves after briefly leading the game by 15 points. Doncic had 39 points and 13 rebounds but it wasn't enough as the Mavs' win streak ended at four games. Doncic has now scored 30 or more points in nine straight games.
“It’s just one of those nights,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. “We got great looks. Minnesota’s the best team in the league. We thought we were playing well. Gi ve them credit.”
The Mavericks have had one of the most potent offenses in the league this season, with or without Irving. They are currently sixth in the NBA in points per game. They are 15th in field goal percentage field goal percentage and ninth in 3-point field goal percentage. The Mavs are also first in the league in 3-point field goals per game. With Doncic at the helm, they are also third in assist-to-turnover ratio. Defense has not been the Mavs' strong suit and it shows in their bottom 10 rankings in nearly all the major defensive categories. The Mavs are 21st in points allowed per game. They are 20th in field goal defense and 21st in 3-point defense. On the glass, the Mavericks are just 26th in total rebounds per game.
Key Injuries: SG Seth Curry is questionable. G Kyrie Irving (foot) and PF Max Kleber (toe) is out.