The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Portland Trail Blazers at American Airlines Center on Friday.

The Trail Blazers (16-12) come into this matchup winning five of their last six games. The direct correlation with that winning streak is the return of Damian Lillard. He actually missed three weeks of action last month, and it led to Portland losing seven of eight. That's even crazier when you see that they were 10-3 before the injury, and it's becoming evident just how valuable that superstar point guard can be. He's got at least 36 points in four straight games, knocking down 30 three-pointers in that span. Half the league doesn't even have 30 threes on the year, and it's amazing since he's also flirting with double-digit assists as well. Don't sleep on Dame being a potential MVP candidate.

The Mavericks (14-14) have been disappointing all season, entering this matchup losing three of their last four games. The last two have been particularly embarrassing, getting blown out by the Cleveland Cavaliers and Chicago Bulls. That's even more distressing with the way those two teams are struggling, and it's becoming clear this isn't the same Western Conference Finalists we saw last year. The simple fact is, Luka Doncic can't do it all on his own. The Slovenian is leading the NBA with a 38 percent usage rate while averaging 33.1 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.8 assists per game. He's one of the greatest players in the NBA, but he needs some help if this team is to make another deep run.

These teams played on November 12, with Dallas prevailing, 117-112. That gives the Mavs five straight wins in this series.