Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Prediction & Betting Tips | Dec. 16, 2023

The Dallas Mavericks will be hoping to stay unbeaten against the Portland Trail Blazers when they meet again on Saturday. Dallas ran away with a 125-112 win on Dec. 8 on the back of another spectacular outing from Luka Doncic. The Mavericks are looking to bounce back into the win column after losing to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday.

The Blazers are on a five-game losing slump. They had a good chance of snapping out of their funk on Thursday but ran out of time against the Utah Jazz at home. Portland’s 38-19 thumping of the Jazz in the final period fell short of giving the team a much-needed win. Dallas will be without Kyrie Irving, which should be good news to Blazers fans.

Luka Doncic was visibly frustrated in the Mavericks home loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. The Trail Blazers might have to take the brunt of his disappointment in that testy encounter.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Preview, betting tips and predictions

Game details

Teams: Dallas Mavericks (15-9) vs Portland Trail Blazers (6-17)

Date and Time: December 16, 2023 | 9:00 PM ET

Venue: Moda Center | Portland, Oregon

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Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Game preview

The Mavericks have seemingly been unaffected by Kyrie Irving’s absence until they lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves. “Uncle Drew” injured his heel in the Mavs’ first meeting against the Blazers. He will not be available in the rematch but Dallas remains as the favorite.

Scoot Henderson arguably had the best game of his career in the loss to the Utah Jazz. He had a career-high 23 points and 10 assists. Unfortunately for Portland, Shaedon Sharpe and Anfernee Simons had off-nights. All three have to show up big time if they want to have a chance of ending their losing streak.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Predicted starting lineups

Derrick Jones Jr. has been starting for the Dallas Mavericks in Kyrie Irving’s absence. He should get another call on Saturday. Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II, Grant Williams and Dante Exum are expected to be Dallas’ other starters.

Jerami Grant, who has missed the Blazers’ last few games, has been upgraded to probable. If he’s cleared to play, he could regain his starting slot and move Toumani Camara back to the bench. Deandre Ayton, Matisse Thybulle, Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe are likely to start for coach Chauncey Billups.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Betting tips

Luka Doncic, the NBA’s second-leading scorer, is averaging 32.3 points per game. The over/under points prop for him is 34.5. Bettors get -120 for over and -110 for under. “Luka Legend” has hit at least 34 points in four out of his last 10 games.

Doncic is averaging 35.8 points this month and has been aggressively looking to score without Kyrie Irving on the roster. He could top 34 points on Saturday.

Anfernee Simons leads the Portland Trail Blazers in scoring with 24.6 PPG. The over/under points prop for him is 23.5. Bettors get -120 for over and -110 for under. Simons had an awful night against the Jazz, scoring just nine points.

Before the dud against the Utah Jazz, he averaged 32.0 points this month. He should be raring to redeem himself and likely go over his points prop.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Predictions

The moneyline for the Mavericks is -200 while it’s +165 for the Blazers. Dallas is a -5.0 favorite on the road against Portland.

The loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday felt like a blip in the Mavericks’ recent form. Even without Kyrie Irving, they could emerge as winners but the Blazers could cover the spread.