'Swag' Rebound? GAMEDAY Dallas Mavs vs. Trail Blazers

On the second night of a back-to-back, will Luka Doncic continue his excellence vs. the Trail Blazers?

On the second night of a back-to-back, the Dallas Mavericks face the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. The Mavs look to bounce back after a (mostly) embarrassing performance in a 130-92 loss to the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Tuesday night. 

In the defeat, the Mavericks lost sixth-man shooting guard Tim Hardaway Jr. to injury. He suffered a fracture in his left foot that figures to keep him out for an extended period of time. Dallas will look to Josh Green, Trey Burke and others to help fill the void. With the NBA trade deadline looming, look for Dallas to be more active in trade talks.

The Trail Blazers are still without Damian Lillard (abdomen) and are also playing the second of a back-to-back following a home loss against the Timberwolves on Tuesday.

FLASHBACK: Dallas leads the 2021-22 season series, 1-0. In December, the Mavericks recorded a 132-117 win at the Moda Center in Portland. 

WATCH FOR... Dallas star Luka Doncic, who missed the first meeting with Portland this year due to health and safety protocols. Against the Blazers, Doncic is averaging 39.7 points and a whopping 63.6 field goal percentage– his highest scoring average against any team in 2020-21.

DID YOU KNOW? Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd and Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups were teammates on the undefeated U.S. national team that won gold at the 2007 FIBA Americas Championship in Las Vegas, helping the Americans clinch a berth at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

INJURY REPORT: TBD

RECORDS: Dallas Mavericks (27-21) at Portland Trail Blazers (20-27)

WHEN: Wednesday, January 26, 2022 at 9:00 p.m. CT

LOCATION: Moda Center (Portland, OR)

TV/RADIO:  BSSW, 97.1 The Eagle (KEGL)

ODDS: The Mavs are 4-point favorites over the Blazers.

NEXT: The Mavericks return to Dallas to host the Indiana Pacers on Saturday night. 

LAST WORD: “It’s like a swag thing,” said Kristaps Porzingis on Sunday. “We have the same guys, but if you start to build something, it develops a little more sauce.”