MAVERICKS (43-30) at PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (33-39)
Time: 5:30 p.m.
Location: Lake Buena Vista, Fla.
TV: Channel 21 and TNT.
Radio: ESPN 103.3 FM; Univision 1270 AM (Spanish)
About the Mavs: While they have a slim shot at moving up from the No. 7 seed, the Mavericks also have another great opportunity staring at them: they can be spoilers. In their final two games, they play the Blazers and Phoenix Suns, both of whom are fighting to get into the play-in match between the Nos. 8 & 9 seeds in the Western Conference. Only a game separates Memphis, Portland, San Antonio and Phoenix. Two will get into the play-in, two won’t. The Mavericks will have a say in who does. If they beat the Blazers, they will have a difficult time squeaking in. Same goes for Phoenix on Thursday . . . After resting Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith on Monday against Utah, all three should be available to play against the Blazers . . . Like the Blazers, the Mavericks have plenty to fight for, even though they don’t have to sweat out making the playoffs. They need two wins and either one loss by Utah or two by Oklahoma City to move up from the seventh seed they currently occupy . . . Doncic and Porzingis are the highest-scoring duo in the NBA bubble, having averaged a combined 62.8 points in the seeding games . . . Tim Hardaway Jr. is coming off a 27-point outing in the victor over Utah on Monday, in which the Mavericks overcame a 22-point third-quarter deficit . . . The Mavericks are 2-1 against the Blazers this season, including a 133-125 victory in Portland . . . This is the second half of the only back-to-back the Mavericks will play in the NBA bubble.
About the Blazers: Not that he needs any extra motivation, but guard Damian Lillard had a fuse lit under him last week. He missed a pair of free throws and a critical 3-pointer in the narrow loss to the Los Angeles Clippers, who let him know about it from the sideline. Lillard took to social media for some back-and-forth with a couple of Clippers. Lillard then came back in the Blazers’ next game with a dazzling 51-point explosion in a three-point win over Philadelphia . . . The Mavericks know exactly what Lillard is capable of. In their victory at Portland in January, they withstood a 47-point performance by Lillard. The 6-2 guard averaged 36.3 points in the three meetings between the teams so far . . . The Mavericks have not seen center Jusuf Nurkic this season. Nobody had seen him this season until the restart. In six games under the bubble, Nurkic has averaged 18.8 points, 10.5 rebounds and 4.8 assists . . . The Blazers also have welcomed back Zach Collins, who had been out since the third game of the season but has returned to average 6.2 points and 7.2 rebounds in the six games of the restart . . . The Blazers, coached by former Rick Carlisle assistant Terry Stotts, reached the Western Conference finals last season. This year, they are trying to overcome a sloppy defense that has allowed 115.7 points per game (26th in the league) and 38.1-percent 3-point shooting (29th).
Twitter: @ESefko
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