The Mavericks made short work of the Grizzlies. I was thinking that they could set a new team record for fewest points given up in a game when at the half they had held them to 32 points. Still, a win is a win, whether it is by a 5 point margin or a 25 point margin. The Trailblazers are 18-11 (18-11, adjusted - poking a little fun at hockey) and are 6-5 in December. They are coming off a win against the Nuggets, which was back-to-back games against Denver, one in Denver and one in Portland. The home team won both times.
The Mavericks are 16-11 and are 8-3 in December. This game is the first of a back-to-back for the Mavericks, their first (and only) in December. The second game is against Utah, in Utah. The Mavericks have won seven of their last ten, while the Blazers are 5-5... Portland ranks 6th in the west and the Mavs rank 7th.
| Name | Dirk Nowitzki | Jason Terry | Josh Howard | Jason Kidd |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Points Per Game | 26.0 | 21.1 | 18.1 | 9.1 |
Rebounds Per Game | 9.1 | 3.0 | 5.9 | 6.2 |
Assists Per Game | 2.6 | 3.9 | 1.5 | 8.3 |
Blocks Per Game | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.4 | 0.5 |
Josh Howard's stock has dropped since his return. Maybe Christmas will be his mental return?
| Name | Brandon Roy | LaMarcus Aldridge | Steve Blake | Rudy Fernandez |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Points Per Game | 22.7 | 17.0 | 11.5 | 10.9 |
Rebounds Per Game | 4.6 | 6.7 | 2.3 | 3.2 |
Assists Per Game | 5.2 | 1.6 | 4.4 | 2.0 |
Blocks Per Game | 0.4 | 1.2 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla lead the team with rebounds, with Oden leading the team with blocks at 1.4 per game.
I think the Mavs will match up with them quite well. My concerns are this: 1) The Mavericks are playing back-to-backs, which I think is a great part of the NBA... but the team playing them at the time will get pretty gassed out in time for the second game unless they conserve in the first game. 2) Will the Christmas spirit cause a distraction? It is a strong possibility since the Mavericks are away on Christmas Day. 3) Howard re-injured his ankle... really, just a tweak. Still, how will back-to-backs affect him and his playing time? There was a fourth concern when I started writing... but it escaped me.
Forecast: I can't help but speak from my bias. I like the Mavericks in this one. And I think that is more my bias speaking than anything logical within me. The logical part of me isn't so bold. I really think this could be more or less decided by the toss of a coin. So, I tossed a coin which told me: - Best of 1 toss: Portland
- Best of 3 tosses: Portland
- Best of 5 tosses: Portland
- Best of 7 tosses: Mavericks
And so, Dallas will win this if a quarter is involved (and, in fact, there is four quarters involved. How about that.) Still, Portland takes this one, 109-107.
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