Mavericks vs Trail Blazers: Battle for Playoff Hopes

0:00It's March 27th. From your city to your ears, this is Dallas News. Today, powered by AI. The Dallas Mavericks head into Friday night's match-up against the Portland Trail Blazers desperate to snap a 5-game losing streak. Sitting at 23 wins and 50 losses, they've dropped 24 of their last 28 games this season. Portland, at 37 and 37, could use a win to stay in the playoff hunt. Tip-off is at 9 p.m. central time on WFA. This marks the third meeting between the teams this year. Portland took the most recent one, a 125-122 thriller back on December 30th. For the Mavericks, rookie star Cooper Flag has been the bright spot, putting up 20.4 points, 6.6 rebounds, and 4.7 assists per game. Nagi Marshall has stepped up as his main support, averaging 15.4 points, 4.8 boards, and 3.3 assists. Injuries are hitting both sides hard. Dallas will miss Kyrie Irving with a knee issue and Derek Lively, the second with a right-foot problem,

1:04while Caleb Martin and Daniel Gafford are. Day to day. Portland sits without Damien Lillard for the season, due to an Achilles tear, shade in sharp with a calf strain, and bite-crazy day to day. Looking ahead, the Mavericks face a tough stretch with Minnesota on Monday, March 30th, then Milwaukee Orlando, the Lakers, Clippers, and Suns. A win tonight could spark some momentum as they grind through these final weeks.