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NBA Best Bets for Trailblazers at Mavericks

Matthew Wadleigh, Contributor
best bets for trailblazers at mavericks
Best bets for Trailblazers at Mavericks. Photo courtesy of Getty Images.

The Word

NBA BEST BETS FOR TRAILBLAZERS AT MAVERICKS - The Portland Trail Blazers head to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks in a game that features one of the most fascinating superstar matchups – Damian Lillard vs. Luka Doncic.

The Friday night showdown is a huge one, and this could very well be a preview of a Western Conference play-in scenario.

The Odds

Matchup

Open

Spread

Points

Moneyline

Trailblazers

(16-12)

+4

+3.5

o224

+140

Mavericks

(14-14)

o224

-3.5

u224

-165

Tipoff

When: Friday 8:30 pm EST, December 16th, 2022

Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX

Public Bets: Even

Public Money: Even

Odds courtesy of DraftKings, as of December 16th, 2022

Portland on Fire

The Blazers lost seven of eight to finish November but have responded with five wins in their past six games. Lillard has been dominant as of late, scoring 40, 36, 38, and then 37 against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night. 

Anfernee Simons (23.7 PPG) and Jerami Grant (22.6 PPG) have surprisingly formed one of the better trios in the NBA, as they three combined with Lillard average north of 74 points per contest. 

Besides a one-point loss to the Denver Nuggets, the Blazers have won the games in December easily. The only one that wasn’t a double-figure loss came against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday, although they won 124-118. 

The Mavs

Luka Doncic is showing everybody why he’s an NBA MVP candidate. He leads the NBA with 33.4 PPG while averaging 8.4 rebounds and 8.7 assists. Even in a 15-point loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday, Doncic finished with 30 points, six assists, and five rebounds. 

However, Dallas has now dropped three of the last four games, including an ugly 29-point loss to the Chicago Bulls. Doncic will show up as always, but the question remains about whether or not any of the other Dallas players will show up on any given night. 

The Pick

The good news is that Dallas is 11-5 at American Airlines Center, although Portland is 9-6 away from home. The Mavs have not fared well against the spread in general, posting a 5-18-1 ATS clip this year. 

Here’s the thing: Portland is red-hot and has won five of six to begin December, and the Mavs have gone just 4-4 in this month so far, with three losses coming in the past week alone. 

Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic should both score 30-plus because that’s what they do, but the Blazers have a much better supporting cast for the time being. Give me the Blazers, on the road, with a gritty double-digit win over the Mavs.

Matt’s Pick

Trailblazers -3.5

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