Portland Trail Blazers @ Dallas Mavericks - January 9, 2025

Alright, folks! It’s game day, and I can feel the excitement buzzing through the air like a playoff atmosphere. The Portland Trail Blazers are rolling into Dallas to take on the Mavericks at the American Airlines Center, and let me tell you, this is going to be one for the books.

Now, looking at the numbers, it’s clear that both teams have had their ups and downs this season. The Mavericks come in with a record of 21-16 and have been putting up an impressive 116.4 points per game on nearly 48% shooting. They’ve got a solid three-point percentage too, sitting at about 37.3%. Meanwhile, our beloved Blazers are struggling a bit with a record of 13-23 and averaging just 108.1 points per game on around 45% shooting. You can see where this is headed.

The Mavs are favored by -6.5 points tonight, which feels right given their recent form—especially after that dominant win against the Lakers where they took care of business as underdogs themselves! But let’s not forget that Portland has shown some fight lately; they covered as underdogs in their last outing against New Orleans with a convincing win of their own.

Defensively, both teams have had their issues but Dallas seems to edge out slightly in terms of rebounding and steals per game. They’re grabbing about 45 boards while forcing over eight steals each night—definitely something to keep an eye on when they face off against Portland’s offense that has struggled to find its rhythm consistently.

Now here’s where it gets interesting: while Dallas has been known for its offensive firepower, they’ve also seen four of their last five games go UNDER the total points line set for them. With both teams averaging below what you’d expect from high-scoring matchups (Portland at just over 108 points), I wouldn’t be surprised if we see another low-scoring affair tonight.

So what do I predict? I’m feeling confident that the Mavericks will take this one home—not only winning but covering that spread too! My gut tells me we’ll see them pull away late in the game as they exploit Portland’s defensive lapses and capitalize on turnovers (which they’ve been good at forcing).

As for the Over/Under? Yeah, I’m leaning towards UNDER again based on how these two squads have performed recently—especially considering how both defenses might tighten up as they battle it out.

In conclusion: Mavs win by more than six points; they cover; and we’re looking at another UNDER night! So grab your lucky jersey (you know I will) and get ready for some thrilling basketball action! Let’s go Mavs!