Halftime Report
Down four at the end of the first quarter, the Mavericks now have the lead. A win is still up for grabs for either team after two quarters, but the Mavericks are up 61-58 over the Trail Blazers. This matchup is far closer than the pair's previous matchup, which was decided by 36 points.
With six games having already gone down to the wire, it's been a real nail-biter of a season for the Mavericks, and they're locked in yet another close battle with the Trail Blazers. Maybe the Mavericks will pull away, but we predict a narrow margin.
Who's Playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Portland Trail Blazers
Current Records: Dallas 12-8, Portland 8-12
How To Watch
- When: Sunday, December 1, 2024 at 9 p.m. ET
- Where: Moda Center at the Rose Quarter -- Portland, Oregon
- TV: KATU 2.2 ABC
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Ticket Cost: $12.00
What to Know
The Trail Blazers will be in front of their home fans on Sunday, but a look at the spread shows they might need that home-court advantage. They will host the Dallas Mavericks at 9:00 p.m. ET at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Last Friday, the Trail Blazers were able to grind out a solid win over the Kings, taking the game 115-106.
The Trail Blazers got their victory on the backs of several key players, but it was Deandre Ayton out in front who almost dropped a double-double on 26 points and nine rebounds. Ayton is trending in the right direction considering he's improved his point production for three straight games. The team also got some help courtesy of Deni Avdija, who almost dropped a double-double on 20 points and nine rebounds.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.5 points) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They came out on top against Utah by a score of 106-94.
Among those leading the charge was Kyrie Irving, who almost dropped a double-double on 30 points and nine assists. He is becoming a predictor of the Mavericks' success: when he posts at least 20 points the team is undefeated (and 7-8 when he doesn't).
The Mavericks were working as a unit and finished the game with 30 assists. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as the Jazz only posted 20.
Portland pushed their record up to 8-12 with the win, which was their fourth straight at home. As for Dallas, they have been performing incredibly well recently as they've won seven of their last eight contests, which provided a massive bump to their 12-8 record this season.
Not only did both teams in this Sunday's matchup win their last matches, they also took care of their bettors and covered the spread. Looking forward, the Mavericks are the favorite in this one, as the experts expect to see them win by seven points. This contest will be Portland's 14th straight as the underdogs (so far over this stretch they are 8-5 against the spread).
The Trail Blazers were dealt a punishing 139-103 defeat at the hands of the Mavericks in their previous meeting back in January. Will the Trail Blazers have more luck at home instead of on the road?
Odds
Dallas is a solid 7-point favorite against Portland, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Mavericks as a 6-point favorite.
The over/under is 228.5 points.
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Series History
Dallas has won 8 out of their last 10 games against Portland.
- Jan 05, 2024 - Dallas 139 vs. Portland 103
- Jan 03, 2024 - Dallas 126 vs. Portland 97
- Dec 16, 2023 - Dallas 131 vs. Portland 120
- Dec 08, 2023 - Dallas 125 vs. Portland 112
- 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
