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The Dallas Mavericks take on the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center on Monday. The Mavericks have lost four of their last five games and have been surprisingly subpar this season. Meanwhile, the Trail Blazers seem incapable of making noise in the playoffs. They have been underperforming all season long and are the worst (30th) defensive team in the NBA.
The Dallas Mavericks are 15-17 right now with no signs of improving. They are ranked 21st in offense and their players have been in and out of the lineup. Their goal this season has to be developing some rhythm and avoid the NBA play-in tournament.
The Portland Trail Blazers are not looking like a playoff team right now. Their defense hasn't improved under new head coach Chauncey Billups and they are incapable of racking up wins. They have lost eight of their last ten games and are 11th in the west with a 13-19 record.
Dallas Mavericks Injury Report
The Dallas Mavericks have a lot of players under the NBA's health and safety protocols. Starters like Luka Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Reggie Bullock are all out, while Willie Cauley-Stein is unavailable due to personal reasons.
Without Doncic, the Mavericks are not expected to make much of an impact. He has the highest usage rate in the league and is the team's primary playmaker.
Portland Trail Blazers Injury Report
The Portland Trail Blazers have seven players in Health and Safety protocols, including Robert Covington and Jusuf Nurkic. They are already missing their star shooting guard CJ McCollum due to a collapsed right lung and now superstar Damian Lillard is also questionable due to personal reasons.
If Damian Lillard doesn't play, they will have four starters unavailable for the game and their bench isn't deep. Hence, it will be tough for the Portland Trail Blazers to get a victory.
Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Predicted Lineups
Dallas Mavericks
Jalen Brunson is expected to start in place of Luka Doncic as the point guard, with Frank Ntilikina joining him in the backcourt. Dwight Powell will start as the center and Sterling Brown will likely play the small forward role. Kristaps Porzingis will start as the power forward as usual. Marquese Chriss, Brandon Knight, and Theo Pinson have received a lot of minutes off the bench lately.
Portland Trail Blazers
If Damian Lillard plays, he will start at his usual point guard position but if he doesn't, then Anfernee Simons is expected to fill his role. Norman Powell now plays as the shooting guard and Tony Snell starts as the small forward. The center position will likely be taken up by Larry Nance Jr. as Jusuf Nurkic and Cody Zeller will both be unavailable. Nassir Little is expected to fill the power forward role. The Portland Trail Blazers don't have many options left for decent rotations, so many of these players will play heavy minutes.
Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trail Blazers: Predicted Starting 5s
Dallas Mavericks
G - Jalen Brunson | G - Frank Ntilikina | F - Sterling Brown | F - Kristaps Porzingis | C - Dwight Powell.
Portland Trail Blazers
G - Anfernee Simons | G - Norman Powell | F - Tony Snell | F - Nassir Little | C - Larry Nance Jr.
Guess the Lakers players!
