3 things to watch as the Mavericks host the Blazers

Fill that Sunday afternoon sports void with some Maverick basketball, this time against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The Mavericks are 2-2 following trading most of their starting line up to the New York Knicks and 0-1 since trading Harrison Barnes. The Blazers, meanwhile, have lost just five times in 2019 and are playing truly outstanding basketball.

If you’re up early and reading this, here are the three things you should keep in mind:

Three point shooting from the Dallas Mavericks

A game after tying the franchise record from deep with 22 three point makes, it will be interesting to see how often Dallas hits from beyond the arc. The Mavericks are top three in the NBA in terms of percentage of shots from downtown, but are 20th in the league in terms of percentage of makes.

Given how things go for Dallas, I’m concerned this might be a game where shots just don’t fall for the Mavericks.

Rebounding battle

Portland is top three in the league rebounding teams in the league. The Mavericks have parted ways with their best rebounder, leaving Luka Doncic as the top board getter per game in Dallas and he grabs around seven per game.

Things might get ugly if the Mavericks don’t keep Jusif Nurkic and Al-Farouq Aminu off the offensive glass.

Day game daze?

Both teams have had at least one day’s rest, with the Mavericks playing Friday night and the Blazers playing Thursday. Day games are a rarity in the NBA so a good start might be of paramount importance. Depending on when the Blazers got into town, a game at 2pm might be fairly disorienting.

I don’t know. I’m spit balling at this point. Any team that has Luka Doncic is going to have a chance but things might get ugly for Dallas quickly. Again.

How to watch

The game tips off at 2:00 pm CT and can be watched on Fox Sports Southwest and NBA League Pass.