Mavs vs. Blazers GAMEDAY: Christian Wood Officially Returns; Can Dallas Stop Losing Skid?
The Dallas Mavericks are in a funk, and that's putting it lightly. After suffering back-to-back embarrassing losses against shorthanded Orlando Magic and Washington Wizards teams, Luka Doncic and company desperately want to stop the bleeding on Saturday night at American Airlines Center when they host Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers.
It won't be easy for the Mavs to get back in the win column, as the Blazers are currently second in the Western Conference with a 9-3 record. This game will conclude a six-game road trip for Portland, where it has gone 4-1 so far with wins over the Phoenix Suns, Miami Heat, Charlotte Hornets and New Orleans Pelicans.
Saturday's game will be the first of a five-game homestand for the Mavs, who currently have a 6-5 record and sit alone at seventh in the West. Can Luka Doncic get back on track after shooting just 17-50 (34%) over his last two games? Whether he's able to or not, the Mavs will likely have some significant help returning, as Christian Wood is back after missing two games due to a knee sprain.
After missing two weeks due to a calf strain, Lillard was taken off the Blazers' injury report on Friday, meaning he is likely ready to make his return vs. the Mavs. Anytime Doncic and Lillard get together, it's usually a fun game. Let the fireworks commence!
Here’s everything else you need to know about tonight’s game:
WHAT TO WATCH: The vibes surrounding the Mavs have been crummy lately, but they'll feel like the 70s and 80s on Saturday night with the new "Retroplex" City Edition digs being broken out by Dallas. Here's how the Mavs described these new uniforms on their official team website:
"This season, we honor the founding of professional basketball in Dallas by donning our 2022-23 City Edition uniforms. With a hardwood classic color pallet and an inline groovy 'Dallas' wordmark, these uniform threads are a nostalgic nod to retro-fashion aesthetic of the late 70s and early 80s, with modern day fashion forward stylings to ground their performance."
These might be the best City Edition uniforms the Mavs have ever had since the NBA made the switch from Adidas to Nike. Perhaps the Mavs will play as good as they'll look. As the old saying goes, 'the clothes make the man,' right?
INJURY REPORT (DALLAS): Dāvis Bertans (knee effusion) is OUT.
INJURY REPORT (PORTLAND): Shaedon Sharpe (finger fracture), Jusuf Nurkic (hip adductor) and Keon Johnson (hip pointer) are questionable. Jerami Grant (ankle sprain) and Justise Winslow (ankle sprain) are probable. Gary Payton II (conditioning) and Olivier Sarr (wrist sprain) are OUT.
RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (6-5), Portland Trail Blazers (9-3)
WHEN: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. CT
WHERE: American Airlines Center (Dallas, TX)
TV: Bally Sports Southwest (BSSW), NBA League Pass
RADIO: 97.1 The Freak, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
ODDS: The Mavs are currently 5-point favorites vs. the Trail Blazers.
NEXT UP: The Mavs take on Paul George and the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday. Kawhi Leonard remains out for the Clippers, but as we've learned recently, that doesn't necessarily mean much if the Mavs don't show up to play. Doncic will get a much-needed three days of rest between the end of the Blazers game and the tipoff of the Clippers game.
FINAL WORD: “I think the worst thing is allowing teams that are short-handed – or, aren’t necessarily the greatest, obviously — to put up points and put up big numbers,” said Spencer Dinwiddie, who has scored 62 points on 55.6 percent shooting over his last two games. “I think that’s more the concerning thing.”
We would agree with that assessment, Spencer.
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