3 Keys as the Dallas Mavericks Head to Rip City to Take on the Trail Blazers

By Sam Casey

Feb 3, 2017

Mar 23, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard (0) shoots over Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) during the fourth quarter of at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Blazers won the game 109-103. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /

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Dec 21, 2016; Portland, OR, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes (40) looks to pass around Portland Trail Blazers forward Al-Farouq Aminu (8) during the first quarter at the Moda Center. Mandatory Credit: Craig Mitchelldyer-USA TODAY Sports /

Have a Balanced Scoring Effort

Portland has a slew of athletic, long, gritty defenders. Led by Al-Farouq Aminu and Allen Crabbe, the Trail Blazers have the capability to give the Mavs leading scorer, Harrison Barnes, fits all night. With Barnes likely not having a great game, the rest of the Mavs need to help out. Seth Curry has been fantastic lately, averaging about 15 points per game since being thrust into the starting lineup. Wes Matthews, Yogi Ferrell, and Dirk will need to get some buckets as well for Dallas to keep up with the high-octane Portland offense.

Luckily, that won’t be too difficult as the Blazers are on of the worst defensive teams in the league. Overall this is a very winnable game and one that Dallas needs to win, as Portland sits at the coveted 8th seed just 2.5 games ahead of the Mavs.

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The Mavs and Blazers tip-off late at 9:30 CT on ESPN. Follow @thesmokingcuban on twitter for live tweeting and in-game analysis.