Back above .500 with a win over the Portland Trailblazers

The Dallas Mavericks rebounded on Friday night at home to punish the Portland Trailblazers, 130-110. Luka Doncic and Christian Wood combined to score 65 points on a hilarious 22 of 35 shooting. The duo also chipped in a combined 18 rebounds and nine assists to help lead the Mavericks to victory.

Josh and I got together to discuss the win, which felt much needed after a rough loss to the Cavaliers on Wednesday, followed by the news that Maxi Kleber might be out for a long time, which broke on Thursday morning. With Kleber out, head coach Jason Kidd was forced to play Christian Wood more and earlier and Wood responded with an efficient and effective offensive game with some pretty good defense to boot. Frank Ntilikina had himself a game as well, matching the total number of threes he’s hit all season in this game (two, if you’re wondering), playing 28 minutes and giving Dallas a boost in limited action. Tim Hardaway had an efficient game as well, connecting on two point shots, a rare thing for him in the 2022-23 season thus far.

There’s a whole lot to be pleased about in this game and while they Mavericks face a tough Cavaliers squad on Saturday night, there’s plenty to be thrilled about in this game. Kirk and Josh cover all this and more in the Friday night episode of Mavs Moneyball After Dark.

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