Dallas Mavericks locked into the seventh seed in Western Conference

Dallas Mavericks are locked into seventh in the Western Conference after loss to Blazers

The Dallas Mavericks had a lot to play on Tuesday evening against the Portland Trail Blazers. They needed to win their final two seeding games to have a chance of moving out of seventh in the Western Conference. That meant beating Portland and the Phoenix Suns in Orlando.

The Blazers had plenty on the line too. They needed a win to grab pole position for the play-in in the West. A loss could have knocked Portland out of the playoffs completely. The circumstances guaranteed a fantastic showdown.

Tuesday’s game did not disappoint. The Blazers tried to get the ball out of Luka Doncic’s hands, but he still managed a 25-point double-double. Damian Lillard dropped 61 for Portland to grab the 134-131 win from Walt Disney World.

Dallas Mavericks will be the seventh seed in the Western Conference

The loss to Portland cements Dallas as seventh in the west. They will play either the LA Clippers or Denver Nuggets in the first round of the playoffs. Fans could find out as soon as Wednesday night. The Clippers are 1.5 up on Denver. Both have two games left. They play each other on Wednesday. It is a must-win for Denver if they want a shot to move up to second on Friday.

The Mavericks have one more seeding game to prepare for their playoff run. It takes place on Thursday afternoon against the Phoenix Suns. Expect Dallas to be careful with Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis. They need their two stars healthy heading into the postseason.

The Blazers have one seeding game remaining before the play-in. Expect them to get into the playoffs. They will be dangerous against the top-seeded Lakers.

The Smoking Cuban will have everything Dallas Mavericks fans want to read on the playoffs from matchup breakdowns to analysis. Do not miss a second of it.