Doncic and Lillard clash in Dallas-Portland matchup
Portland Trail Blazers (18-24, 10th in the Western Conference) vs. Dallas Mavericks (26-15, sixth in the Western Conference)
Dallas; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
BOTTOM LINE: A pair of the league's best scorers, Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard, meet when Dallas and Portland face off. Doncic is fourth in the NBA averaging 28.8 points per game and Lillard is seventh in the league averaging 26.8 points per game.
The Mavericks are 15-8 in Western Conference games. Dallas is 14-4 in games decided by at least 10 points.
The Trail Blazers are 10-16 in Western Conference play. Portland is 5-2 in games decided by less than 4 points.
The two teams square off for the second time this season. The Trail Blazers defeated the Mavericks 121-119 in their last matchup on Oct. 27. CJ McCollum led Portland with 35 points, and Kristaps Porzingis paced Dallas scoring 32 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Doncic is averaging 28.8 points and 9.8 rebounds for the Mavericks. Doncic has averaged 10 rebounds and added 27.8 points per game over the last 10 games for Dallas.
Lillard has shot 44.4 percent and is averaging 26.8 points for the Trail Blazers. McCollum has averaged 2.2 made 3-pointers and scored 18 points over the last 10 games for Portland.
LAST 10 GAMES: Mavericks: 5-5, averaging 113.7 points, 46.3 rebounds, 22.6 assists, 5.7 steals and 4.6 blocks per game while shooting 46.5 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 110.5 points on 47.0 percent shooting.
Trail Blazers: 4-6, averaging 109.8 points, 44.8 rebounds, 19.8 assists, 5.5 steals and 5.8 blocks per game while shooting 44.2 percent from the field. Their opponents have averaged 114.8 points on 45.7 percent shooting.
INJURIES: Mavericks: Kristaps Porzingis: day to day (knee/illness), Ryan Broekhoff: out (fibula).
Trail Blazers: Jusuf Nurkic: out (leg fracture), Skal Labissiere: out (knee), Mario Hezonja: day to day (back), Zach Collins: out (shoulder), Rodney Hood: out for season (leg).
