The Mavericks they had no mercy on some Portland Trail Blazers decimated that have become the worst team in the NBA and those who surpassed by 128-78, the fifth time that the Dallas side have won a game with a difference in favor of at least 50 points, with 39 points from Luca Doncic. But Doncic also received his 16th technical of the season and will miss Sunday’s final regular-season game against the San Antonio Spurs.
The Mavericks have managed to get the first game of the opening round of the playoffs to be played in Dallas. It is the first time they will do it since the 2011 season. With the victory against the Blazers, the Mavs accumulate 51 victories and continue hot on the heels of the Golden State Warriors to try to take third place in the Western Conference. Stephen Curry’s team also has 51 wins and 29 losses, one fewer than the Mavs. The Warriors still have two games to play, on Saturday against the San Antonio Spurs and on Sunday against Willy Hernangómez’s New Orleans Pelicans. The Spurs and Pelicans have secured spots in the play-in tournament and will finish in 10th and 9th place, respectively, in the Western Conference.
Doncic was the game’s top scorer and had a double double with 39 points, 11 rebounds and 7 assists. His teammate Dwight Powell had 18 points, 3 rebounds and 2 assists. The superiority of the Mavs allowed the giant Boban Marjanovic, 2.24 meters tall, to play the entire fourth quarter, scoring 8 points and 6 rebounds. The best of the Trail Blazers was center Drew Eubanks, who had 18 points and 7 rebounds.
The Blazers, the worst in the NBA
On Friday night, the Mavs complied without problems against a Blazers that since the All Star game is the worst team in the league, with only 2 wins and 19 losses. In comparison, in the same period, the Mavs have become the third best team, behind only the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks, with 15 wins and 6 losses. The Blazers showed up at the American Airlines Center in Dallas without Damian Lillard (hamstring), Joe Ingles (left knee), Eric Bledsoe (left Achilles tendon), Jusuf Nurkic (left foot), Justin Winslow (left leg), Anfernee Simons (left knee), Nassir Little and Trendon Watford.
From the start of the game, the Mavs didn’t give the Blazers a chance. In the first few minutes Doncic and Dwight Powell gave a recital of rapport, facilitated by the poor defense of the Portland starting lineup, made up of Brandon Williams, Keon Johnson, Drew Eubanks, Greg Brown III and CJ Elleby. Doncic supplied Powell with balls in the paint and the Mavericks center took the opportunity to crush the Blazers rim, including a spectacular ‘alley-oop’ that he executed from behind. In the first quarter, Powell scored 11 points after making all 5 field goals he took and one of two free throws. For his part, Doncic added 13 points and made one of the 4 triples he attempted.
Doncić Festival
Powell and Doncic scored two-thirds of the 36 points the Mavs scored in the first 12 minutes. For their part, the Blazers scored just 13 points, as many as Doncic. In the second quarter, the Blazers improved their attack thanks to the help of the bench. The Portlanders had 31 points in the second quarter, one less than the Mavs, with Eubanks and Ben McLemore as the most effective, with 6 points each. At halftime, the Mavs had increased their lead to 24 points, 68-44with 14 points from Doncic.
In the third part, the festival of the Slovenian star arrived. Doncic, who had gone to the locker room hot after receiving a technical for protesting at the end of the second quarter, began to crush the resigned Blazers with triples. The Slovenian scored 6 of the 7 triples he shot and added 25 points in the third quarter, as many points as the entire Blazers made in that period.
When the last 12 minutes began, the scoreboard indicated an overwhelming 107-69, which allowed Mavs coach Jason Kidd to sit out his starting lineup and give Marjanovic 12 minutes. But even with the Dallas bench on the floor, the Blazers choked. The Portlanders were unable to score a basket during the first 4:30 minutes of the fourth quarter. And in the entire last period they only made 9 points, which left the final score at 128-78.