The Dallas Mavericks host the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center on Friday, March 27, at 9:30 p.m. ET.
The Mavericks are 23-50 and 13th in the West with a 14-23 home record, while the Blazers are 37-37 and ninth in the West with a 17-21 road record.
The Mavericks are coming off a competitive 142-135 loss against the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday, while the Blazers picked up a dominant 130-99 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday as well. This is their third encounter of the season, with the season series tied up at 1-1. The Blazers won the last matchup 125-122 between the teams on December 29, 2025.
For the Mavericks, everything revolves around rookie sensation Cooper Flagg, who’s averaging 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists this season. The closest thing in the form of a co-star for him right now is Naji Marshall, who’s averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 rebounds, and 3.3 assists this season.
Deni Avdija has had a breakout season with the Blazers, averaging 23.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 6.7 assists, while second-year center Donovan Clingan has emerged as a key contributor, averaging 12.4 points, 11.8 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks this season.
The Blazers will be hoping to pick up this win and keep pressure on the LA Clippers and Golden State Warriors, who are just one game ahead of them in the standings at the No. 7 and No. 8 seed. The Mavericks have lost their last five games, so Portland will look to ensure that losing streak doesn’t come to an end against them.
Injury Report
Mavericks
Kyrie Irving: Out (knee)
Dereck Lively II: Out (foot)
Caleb Martin: Out (foot)
Daniel Gafford: Out (shoulder)
Trail Blazers
Robert Williams III: Out (knee)
Damian Lillard: Out (Achilles)
Shaedon Sharpe: Out (calf)
Vit Krejci: Out (calf)
Why The Mavericks Have The Advantage
The Mavericks have a few things they excel at this season. They’re a fantastic fast-break team, ranking fifth in fast-break points per game (17.9), while also being a strong interior team with 35.3 paint points per game, fourth in the NBA. They score 46.9% of their total points in the paint. Unsurprisingly, this also means the Mavericks make frequent drives to the basket, ranking fourth in the NBA with 32.4 per game. They play with an aggressive pace (102.4), which is the fifth-fastest in the NBA.
These stats put together show that the Mavericks will likely punish a lazy or unorganized defense, as their ability to attack opponents without settling for three-point shots has given them a 64.9% two-point FG% this season, fourth-best in the NBA. These stats don’t show that the Mavericks are fundamentally as bad as their record dictates, as that’s mostly been influenced by the team not controlling any of their draft picks after this season until the end of the decade.
The Mavericks will look to attack the Blazers’ biggest defensive weakness, which is that they concede the most points off turnovers in the NBA this season (21.6 per game). Given their excellence in the fast-break and in transition, the Mavericks are well-placed to exploit this weakness, provided they can consistently force turnovers. They only rank 26th in steals this season (7.4 SPG) and will have to overperform on that end to seal this win.
Their biggest advantage is Flagg, who’s averaged 23.7 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.4 assists in the last seven games. If the 19-year-old forward can put his rapidly developing skillset together, he could lead the Mavericks to an improbable win and strengthen his argument for Rookie of the Year.
Why The Trail Blazers Have The Advantage
The Trail Blazers haven’t been a statistical marvel this season, but their 112.9 offensive rating and 114.2 defensive rating show that they’re better within the margins than their opponents, who have a 110.3 offensive rating and 115.3 defensive rating. Portland will come into this game as the better and more balanced team overall, as they don’t have one major advantage to exploit like the Mavericks do. In fact, the Blazers have the answer to stopping the Mavericks’ biggest advantage.
The Blazers give up just 50.4 paint points per game, a number that’s been improving over the last two months with the development of Donovan Clingan. The team has a high-level rim-protector to rely on, while the Mavericks will be without one of their key rim scorers, like Gafford. Clingan’s presence also helps Portland lead the NBA in second-chance points (18.3 per game) and be one of the best rebounding teams in the NBA with 46.0 rebounds per game and 14.1 offensive rebounds per game (2nd in the NBA).
The Blazers are a much-better shooting team than the Mavericks. They attempt 42.2 three-point attempts per game and convert them at an 34.1% clip. While the Mavericks rank third in opponent three-point percentage by holding opponents to 34.8%, the Blazers will hope their volume shooting can overcome the Mavericks’ defensive efforts. There is a strong case that this happens, given how easily the Nuggets shot 19-38 from three against the Mavericks in their Wednesday night clash.
The biggest advantage for the Blazers is the fact that they have an incentive to win, unlike the Mavericks. Dallas is 1.5 games behind the Grizzlies in the West and would like to remain there organizationally, although Flagg and company will fight hard on the court. The Blazers are fighting for the Playoffs and need to play with that urgency to ensure Dallas is stifled before they can get going.
X-Factors
The Mavericks will hope P.J. Washington can replicate the 19-point and 15-rebound performance he just had against the Nuggets. Washington is averaging 14.3 points and 7.1 rebounds this season and has been one of the players most affected by Luka Doncic’s departure last season. However, he’s finally looking comfortable on the new Mavericks again, already building strong chemistry alongside Flagg on the court.
Max Christie has had a mixed season. Despite showing flashes of being a starting-level guard on a competitive team this season, Christie’s performances have been marred by inconsistency. He’s averaging 12.6 points and 3.3 rebounds this season and hopes he can have a big night against the Blazers backcourt. His 41.2% from three shooting this season will ensure he’s a player that the Blazers keep contained, as a catch-and-shoot barrage from Christie could be deadly for the Blazers.
Jerami Grant is averaging 18.6 points and 3.5 rebounds, and has been reminding fans of the win-now player he can be now that the Blazers have a tangible goal to play for instead of tanking. The 32-year-old is a two-way contributor, and the Blazers will need his pull-up shooting to break down the Mavericks’ defense, especially when running back in transition.
Toumani Camara has been an unsung hero for the Trail Blazers this season. While his season averages of 13.0 points and 5.2 rebounds aren’t eye-catching, he provides value as a do-it-all defender who is capable of contributing offensively when relied upon. He is the perfect hustle piece that ties their roster together and, more often than not, makes positive contributions in his minutes.
Prediction
The Mavericks possess all the tools to beat the Trail Blazers on paper. Their aggressive performance against the Nuggets in their last outing proves that this franchise won’t just lie down and accept a loss, but the Blazers’ form over recent weeks shows they won’t let an easy win slide. There are multiple holes on the Mavericks roster for the Blazers to attack, whether it’s their unimaginative offense or stagnant defense. The Blazers are the right pick to win this game, although it seems it will be a competitive fight.
Prediction: Mavericks 108, Trail Blazers 123
