Regrettably, this is the first Sunday in a long time that isn’t during football season. On the bright side, we do have NBA, NHL, and college basketball action, and even golf and tennis. The marquee attraction is an NBA double-header on ESPN that begins with this showdown between the Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks before the Los Angeles Lakers visit the Denver Nuggets. Both games are getting the same game parlay treatment they deserve. Let’s take a look at the best such option for Trail Blazers vs. Mavericks, and be sure to check out our full game preview for picks on the side and total.
Part of the value in same game parlays, of course, is that all of its components can be correlated if you so choose. That is the entire plan here. We feel good about the Trail Blazers’ chances of pulling of a minor upset on Sunday, and big performances by Gary Trent Jr. and Carmelo Anthony would go a long way in that effort. Keeping the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic-led offense would do the same, so it all correlates nicely to a Portland victory.
The Trail Blazers have been rolling despite being without C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic due to injury. Portland is 5-1 in its last six games, including two wins over Philadelphia and four victories by at least nine points. Damian Lillard is playing at an MVP level, averaging 29.0 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 7.2 assists per game this season. Trent has been instrumental in making up for McCollum’s absence. Not too many months after giving the Clippers all they could handle in the playoff bubble, the Mavericks have looked like a team in total disarray. They rank in the bottom five of the league in defensive efficiency and currently sit outside of the postseason picture.
Trent’s six most recent point totals are 26, 24, 19, 15, 19, and 26. Simply playing the percentages here, you have to like his chances of scoring at least 18 against Dallas. With McCollum sidelined, GTJ’s workload has been predictably extensive. He has logged at least 33 minutes in nine of the past 19 contests, including at least 37 on six of those occasions. Over the past two outings, Trent is 15-for-24 from the floor and 9-for-13 from three-point range.
Speaking of threes, both Trent and Anthony have every reason to dial long distance at least a couple of times on Sunday. As mentioned above, GTJ is on fire from the land of plenty. Anthony, meanwhile, is 12-for-21 from deep over the past three games. Dallas is a little worse than mediocre at defending the three, too, so their hot streaks should continue. The Mavericks are allowing opponents to shoot 37.3 percent from the floor (19th in the NBA) and they are giving up 13.6 triples per game (sixth most in the association).
Doncic was the pre-season odds-on favorite to win MVP, but those hopes have basically vanished due to the fact that his impressive stats have failed to translate into wins for his team. He just isn’t getting enough help, and that sometimes translate into a lack of assists. Yes he has dished out double-digit dimes on two consecutive occasions, but he also has assist totals of five and six in two of the past five contests. It must be noted, too, that Portland is No. 1 in the NBA in fewest assists allowed per game at 19.8. Every other team in the league is over 21.
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