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The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Arena as Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic brace for an emphatic duel.
Both teams have been in great form leading up to this enticing matchup. The Portland Trail Blazers have registered three wins on the trot. The Dallas Mavericks, on the other hand, have registered four.
The matchup will also feature two of the best guards in the league going head to head. Luka Doncic, who dropped a career-high 46 points in his last game, duels with Damian Lillard, who is on a brilliant scoring run himself.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Dallas Mavericks Injury Updates
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have had an injury-laden season so far and it seems as if they will have to continue without several players for a minimum of 6-8 weeks. The injury list includes CJ McCollum, Jusuf Nurkic, and big-man Zach Collins. While the former two have featured for a combined 25 games, the latter is yet to play a game this season.
Rodney Hood left the floor injured against the Cavs in the Blazers' last game and is listed as day-to-day for now.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have reported no new injuries and will continue to have their full squad available to them.
Portland Trail Blazers vs Dallas Mavericks Predicted Lineups
Portland Trail Blazers
The Portland Trail Blazers have been terrific this season, despite losing so many players to injuries. Terry Stotts' men currently rank 5th in the heavyweight Western Conference with a respectable record of 15-10.
Experienced players like star-man Damian Lillard, Enes Kanter, and veteran Carmelo Anthony have made sure the team stays in contention to gain home-court advantage in the post-season.
With the Portland Trail Blazers' current lineup clicking well and the Dallas Mavericks at full strength, the Trail Blazers are most likely to go ahead with the same starting 5 they used against the Cavs.
Damian Lillard and Trent Jr. will continue to pair up on the back-court, while Covington, Kanter, and Derrick Jones Jr. will take up the 3 front-court spots yet again. The likes of Carmelo Anthony, Anfernee Simons, and Harry Giles will continue to play vital rotation minutes.
Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks have been phenomenal in the last 4 games, especially on the offensive side of things. The Mavs will look to capitalize on their form and hope to maintain their winning run when they host the Portland Trail Blazers.
They will look to field their regular lineup of Doncic and Richardson on the backcourt, with Finney-Smith, Porzingis, and Kleber in the frontcourt. Jalen Brunson and Tim Hardaway Jr. are expected to play a minimum of 20 minutes each from the bench.
Portland Trail Blazers Predicted Lineup
G - Damian Lillard, G - Gary Trent Jr., F - Robert Covington, F - Derrick Jones Jr., C - Enes Kanter
Dallas Mavericks Predicted Lineup
G - Luka Doncic, G - Josh Richardson, F - Dorian Finney-Smith, F - Maxi Kleber, C - Kristaps Porzingis
