NBA Announces Major Schedule Change Ahead of Blazers vs Mavericks Game

Matt Levine

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The Portland Trail Blazers have made a change to the time start for their game against the Dallas Mavericks tonight. The game will now start an hour earlier due to inclement weather.

The NBA released a statement about the game being moved.

"The start of tonight’s game between the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center will begin one hour earlier (7:30pm ET/6:30 p.m. CT) due to inclement weather."

Portland is coming off a big win over the New Orleans Pelicans so they will try to get another win here. However, they will have to do so without the services of veteran forward Jerami Grant. Grant has been ruled out for this contest.

Center Robert Williams III is listed as questionable for the game. Williams III made his return to the lineup against New Orleans and made a massive difference in the contest.

Trail Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups spoke about Williams III impact after the game ended.

“He’s just a difference maker,” Billups said. “He really is. His feel for the game, his instincts are at a high, high, high level. His IQ is at a high, high, high level.”

Williams III added to the Trail Blazers defense and it helped lead to a win. Portland has been a little inconsistent this season so they will try to replicate their performance against New Orleans here.

Dallas will be without Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving for the game, giving the Trail Blazers an opportunity to win. But the defense will need to continue to shine if they want to come out with the win.

“Obviously, the offense in the first half stands out,” Blazers coach Chauncey Billups told reporters. “But to me, it was the defense that got us going.”

If they can put together a strong game plan, a win isn't out of the realm of possibility. Portland has been more competitive this season and they have shown that they can steal games like this.

The Trail Blazers currently hold a record of 13-23 on the season, sitting in 13th place within the Western Conference standings. It's been a mixed year for this team but they aren't too far off from possibly competing for a playoff spot.

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Matt Levine
MATT LEVINE

Matt earned a Master of Science degree in Sport Management from Louisiana State University in 2021. He was born and raised in the Los Angeles area, covering all Southern California sports in his career.

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