Dame Time collides with Luka Magic as the Dallas Mavericks take on the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday (10:00 AM on NBA League Pass).
The seismic clash between Luka Doncic and Damian Lillard will be inevitable as the two Western Conference playoff contenders go at it. In their last meeting back in February, the stars lived up to the hype and delivered the goods.
Lillard unleashed 34 points and handed out 11 assists in the 121-118 Trail Blazers victory at the American Airlines Center in Dallas. On the other end of the spectrum, Doncic had 44 points, nine dimes, and seven boards to his name. The Mavericks rallied against a 13-point deficit in the fourth quarter to tie the game, but Lillard once again tapped into his clutch gene and hit the go-ahead triple. Luka tried to counter but he ran out of magic and missed.
If we go back further in last year’s matchup inside the Orlando Bubble, there were also fireworks between the two greats. Lillard had incendiary rounds in his holster and fired away 61 points, tying his career-high, in a 134-131 win. Doncic, meanwhile, had a near triple-double of 25 points, 10 assists, and eight rebounds in the loss.
Heading into Saturday, we can expect another explosive performance from either of these two stars.
The Trail Blazers are fresh off back-to-back wins against the New Orleans Pelicans. Lillard dropped 50 points on Wednesday and had 36 points (21 in the first quarter) for an encore. Lillard’s co-star CJ McCollum has also returned to the lineup as he’s slowly working his way back to form after a left foot injury. The Trail Blazers are gaining steam in the West, having won six of their last eight games.
Not to be outdone, the Mavericks are climbing up the standings as well. Doncic unfurled 42 points against a tough defensive team in the LA Clippers. It was a bounce-back game after a 10-point defeat two days earlier. It had a feel of a playoff series especially considering that the Clippers and the Mavericks met in the first round in the bubble. After their recent win, the Mavericks are 7-3 in their last 10 games.
Luka and Dame are at the top of their game. The Mavs and the Blazers are making a run. It’s the growing legend of Luka Magic against the undeniable power of Dame Time. Do we need more reasons to get excited about their matchup?
The Mavericks are recently gaining steam but will Luka Magic prevail over Dame Time in Portland?
