Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers Betting Preview/Prop Pick

There’s a fun Western Conference matchup slated for Wednesday, January 26th. The Dallas Mavericks, fifth in the Western Conference, head to Portland to face the No.10 Trail Blazers. The Mavericks are coming off of a nearly 40-point loss to the Golden State Warriors.

In order to wash that game out of their mouth, they’ll need to get a win here. So, can they beat Portland?

The Portland Trail Blazers come off of a narrow loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. This season hasn’t been very kind to Portland, who currently has a 20-27 record.

Damian Lillard is still hurt, with no signs of returning, and now they have more players added to that list. As they get set to host Dallas, Portland is desperate for a win. We’re more concerned about the best bet.

Dallas Mavericks: Favorites to win and for good reason

The Dallas Mavericks are the favorites to win this game, and it’s for a good reason. Dallas has performed well through the season up until that 38-point loss to the Warriors. They’re 27-21 on the year and have only had trouble against the best teams in the NBA.

Taking on the Trail Blazers shouldn’t be too much trouble for Dallas. The key here is can they cover the spread?

The Mavericks might have 27 wins, but they don’t score very many points to secure victories. On average, the Mavericks put up 104.98 points per game, ranking 26th in the NBA.

You would think that with players such as Luka Doncic, their output would be higher. They make up for their offensive shortcomings with tough defense, allowing 103.08 points per game, third in the NBA.

Portland Trail Blazers: Shutting down Donic & Porzingis is key

As the Trail Blazers prepare to play host, two players need to be shut down. Luka Doncic is their best scorer, averaging 25.5 points per game. If the Portland Trail Blazers want to win this game, focusing on Doncic is a top priority.

Doncic and Porzingis combine for an average of 16 rebounds per game. The Trail Blazers need to put bodies on them and limit this efficiency. 

Portland comes in as five-point underdogs but has a better offense than the Mavericks. Using this offense to generate a lead is key here. Sure, they’re missing their best player in Damian Lillard, but the Mavericks are missing players too.

Tim Hardaway Jr. is out for the Mavericks after being injured last week. Portland can use this to their advantage and stretch the floor.

Our pick for the Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers

The Dallas Mavericks have the No.3 defense in the NBA, and we think it’ll shine tonight. Portland has struggled to put points on the board, and it’ll only get tougher against Doncic and Porzingis.

Dallas has done much better against the spread this season (24-23-1) than the Trail Blazers (20-27). With that being said, we have to take the Mavericks -5 in this one. 

The good news for Dallas is that it isn’t a lot of points to put up. They’re also 9-4 ATS in their last thirteen games against Portland. Considering the total has gone under in eight of Dallas’ last nine games, add the under to your ticket. 

DunkelIndex Free Pick: Dallas Mavericks -5, UNDER

Prop Pick

Portland (-120) UNDER 106.5 Points

Dallas is giving up 103.1 points per game this season, which ranks No. 3 in the league. The Mavericks also rank No. 3 in road defense while allowing just 104.7 points per game. Scores have gone UNDER in five of Dallas’ last seven road games and five of their last six as a road favorite.

With Dunkel predicting a Dallas win by the score of 108-98, take the Trail Blazers (-120) to finish UNDER their Vegas team total of 106.5 points against the Mavs.

Luka Doncic (-115) OVER 27.5 Points

While Doncic has averaged 27.1 points in his last 10, the scoring has been up and down from game to game. Coming off a 25 point effort in the loss to Golden State last night, look for Luka to step up against Portland. Doncic has averaged 30.1 ppg against the Blazers for his career and we see him going over the line of 27.5 tonight.

Be sure to check out all of today’s NBA picks!