The Portland Trail Blazers look to win a second consecutive game in a Monday night matchup with the Dallas Mavericks.
The two teams enter Moda Center with similar records, but Portland has fared much better against stiffer Western Conference competition. The Trail Blazers in-conference record is 10-12 while Dallas sits at 6-15. The Mavericks have lost their last six road games.
This is the second 2025 meeting of the two teams. The Mavericks won 138-133 in overtime in Dallas on Nov. 17.
What you Need to Know
Portland Trail
Blazers (13-19) vs. Dallas Mavericks (12-21) – Mon Dec. 29 – 7:30pm Pacific
How to watch via antenna or cable: NBC
How to stream: Peacock
How to listen: Trail Blazers Audio Network
Trail Blazers injuries: Jerami Grant, Scoot Henderson, Jrue Holiday, Damian Lillard, Matisse Thybulle, Blake Wesley, Robert Williams III (Out)
Dallas injuries: Dante Exum, Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II (Out); Anthony Davis, Brandon Williams (Day-to-day)
Storylines:
History on their Side?
Dallas has bested the Trail Blazers 14 times in the teams’ past 17 meetings.
Cooper the Hooper
Blazer fans will get another look at Rookie of the Year candidate Cooper Flagg. The Mavs’ No. 1 draft pick is averaging 19.5 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.9 assists. At a point in the season when many rookies start to show fatigue, Flagg is fresh off a 23-point outing in Sacramento, which included both a shaky first half and a 15-point third quarter outburst. He is just the third player in NBA history aged 19 or younger to record three consecutive games of at least 20 points, five rebounds and five assists, joining LeBron James, who had five such stat lines, and Luka Dončić.
Flagg has appeared in a total of 31 games for the Mavericks, all starts, at a little over 34 minutes per game. In addition to his points, he’s been averaging 6.4 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.2 steals with splits of 49.3 percent shooting from the field, 26.9 percent shooting from the 3-point line and 79.4 percent shooting from the free-throw line.
AD
Trade rumors continue to swirl around Anthony Davis with Chris Haynes reporting (Nice Blazer-heavy Zoom background!) that the Hawks have a strong interest in the Mavericks center.
Creating a Culture of Sharing the Ball
In addition to all of the other leaps he’s made this season, Deni Avdija is developing into a reliable distributor. Forced into playing point guard, Avdija had ten assists in the Blazers’ Sunday night victory over the Celtics. This bodes well for the Blazers. As the great Bill Russell once said, “Create unselfishness as the most important team attribute.”
Cleaning the Glass
Big Donovan Clingan collected 18 rebounds in his last outing. (He also had 18 points in 33 minutes.) On the other side of the hardwood, Dallas ranks fourth in the NBA with 34.5 defensive rebounds per game led by Anthony Davis who averages 7.6. As of press time, it’s unknown whether Davis will take the court.
Consistency is Key
Shaedon Sharpe is averaging 23.9 points over his last ten games. Sharpe was 5 of 8 from 3-point range while scoring 26 points for Portland versus Boston.
What Others Are Saying:
On the Road
Dallas has played ten of its last 15 games on the road, something Flagg talked about in this article from Mike Curtis of The Dallas Morning News.
“It’s different. That’s all part of being a pro,” Flagg said. “All these guys have been through it before, but this is my first time. That’s different. Traveling all over the place. This is my first time not being at home for Christmas and being with my whole family, so that’s a little different, but just gotta find ways to play through it. We gotta come out with better energy and be ready to play.”
Making a Difference
Celtics coach Joe Mazulla complimented Clingan after the big man dominated the Celtics.
“I mean, they’re obviously tough to get good shots against with Clingan at the rim.”
Enjoying Rip City
Jrue Holiday told the Athletic he’s fitting right in with the Blazers. (Subscription required.) Here’s hoping he can get back in the rotation soon.
“It’s been great besides not playing,” Holiday said. “A lot of guys have been injured, and you hate to see that, but other than that, me adjusting here has been pretty seamless. The team is great. Staff is great. I’ve been enjoying myself.”
