The Dallas Mavericks put on a great show on Friday, defeating the Portland Trail Blazers 125–112 to make it back-to-back wins after defeating the Utah Jazz 50–50, which was capped by a 40–point triple-double from Luka Doncic.

Robert Williams III (ACL rupture), Malcolm Brogdon (knee soreness), Deandre Ayton (knee discomfort), and Jerami Grant (concussion protocol) were among the key players that missed action, which caused the Blazers to struggle.

The Mavs started Dante Exum for the second straight game since Josh Green (elbow sprain) and Grant Williams (knee discomfort) were sidelined. with an attempt to force Doncic to give up the ball, Portland used full-court pressure and double-team tactics with their aggressive ball screen coverage.

The Mavericks altered their offensive approach to counter the Blazers’ tough defence in spite of their early struggles and Doncic’s three mistakes in the first quarter. Through a variety of strategies, such as double-drag actions, post-ups, small-small screens, rejecting ball screens, and spacing optimisation, the Mavs gradually established their rhythm in the game.