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WHO: Dallas Mavericks vs Portland Trailblazers
WHAT: The start of a winstreak or losing to lock in the 7th seed
WHERE: Disney World
WHEN: 5:30 p.m. CT
HOW: TNT or Fox Sports SW
THE STORY: This one matters folks. I’ll let Brad Townsend explain:
If Mavs lose either of final 2 games they finish 7th.
— Brad Townsend (@townbrad) August 10, 2020
To overtake 6th-place Utah, Mavs have to win remaining games vs Portland and Phoenix, and Utah must lose its remaining game vs. S.A.
To overtake No. 5 OKC, Mavs must win 2 games and OKC must to lose to Miami and Clippers.
Dallas has to win. There is no messing around if they actually want to play someone that isn’t the Clippers (and even then they need things to fall right). Things are still remarkably up in the air this late in the season, even considering the weirdness of the bubble situation and the worldwide pandemic. The Mavericks have so many losses they regret this season but they still manage to control an aspect of their destiny.
With Seth Curry out again for some mysterious leg ailment, Dallas will need every bench player to be ready to defend a Portland team playing for their playoff lives.
Enjoy this one folks, it should be a barn burner.