Mavericks at Trail Blazers
THE STORY: Dallas concludes its six-game trip at Portland on Sunday night in what could be a preview of a first-round playoff matchup. With six games remaining, the Mavericks are third in the Western Conference and would play No. 6 Portland if the season ended today. Dallas will try to snap Portland’s seven-game winning streak at the Rose Garden, one off the Trail Blazers’ season high.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, KTXA, CSNW
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (53-23): Dallas is almost assured of a third-place finish in the West. The Mavericks dropped 2 1/2 games behind the Los Angeles Lakers (55-20) for second after a 99-92 loss Saturday night at Golden State. They also lead fourth-place Oklahoma City (50-26) by three games. Against the Warriors, Dallas shot just 5 of 25 (20 percent) from 3-point range and was 37 of 90 overall. “Our offense was good," coach Rick Carlisle said. “Our shot-making just wasn't there … "I just kept believing we were going to hit a hot streak. (It was a) tough night." In addition to the poor shooting, the Mavericks came out of the game a bit banged up. Tyson Chandler sat out most of the second half after taking a hard fall on his back. Jason Kidd banged knees with a Warrior. Both said they should be fine for tonight’s game.
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS (44-32): Portland hopes its hot streak continues at the Rose Garden, where it has won seven consecutive games. The Trail Blazers are 2 1/2 games behind fifth-place Denver and just a half-game ahead of seventh-place Memphis and one ahead of No. 8 New Orleans. In Friday’s 98-91 victory over Oklahoma City, LaMarcus Aldridge scored 32 points and Nicolas Batum, coming off the bench, scored 19. "I thought he looked relaxed," Portland coach Nate McMillan said of Batum. "As I told him, 'We're going to need you, whether you're in that starting lineup or not, to play both ends of the floor.' I thought he looked a little loose and played a good game.”
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Dallas’ starting five was just 13 for 40 against Golden State. Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 points and was just 5 for 16 (31.3 percent), his lowest shooting percentage since shooting 28.6 percent (4 of 14) against Sacramento on Feb. 9. In five games on the trip, Nowitzki is shooting 40.7 percent (35 of 86). Against the Thunder, Portland guard Andre Miller scored nine of his 13 points in the fourth quarter and had seven assists, giving him 6,995 for his career. He needs five assists to become the 14th player in NBA history to get to 7,000. In three games against Dallas this season, Aldridge, a Dallas native, is averaging 31.0 points and 9.3 rebounds.
KEY STATISTIC: Aldridge has 12 games with 30 or more points this season.
SEASON SERIES: Sunday’s game is the final of four this season, and Dallas holds a 2-1 edge. The Mavericks have won 21 of the last 27 matchups with the Blazers, but the Blazers have won four of the last seven (including the most recent meeting in Portland on March 15).
KEY INJURIES: DALLAS: F Caron Butler (knee); G Dominique Jones (foot); PORTLAND: C Greg Oden (knee); G Elliot Williams (knee).
LAST WORD: “Basically we got the three seed locked up. We're still trying to win and go forward. We'd love to get some wins before we start off (the playoffs).” – Nowitzki on Dallas’ playoff position.