15* Mavs/Blazers ESPN Late-Night BAILOUT on Dallas -3

Dallas vs. Portland, 04/13/2012 22:30 EDT, Score: 97 - 94

Point Spread: -3/-102 Dallas

Sportsbook: 5Dimes

Result: Push

The Dallas Mavericks are fighting to just make the playoffs. Dallas (33-26) would be the No. 6 seed in the Western Conference if the season were to end today. The Mavericks are 2 games ahead of ninth-place Utah and 2.5 games ahead of tenth-place Phoenix.

There's no question the Mavericks will be motivated in each game they play from here on out, which should bring out the best of them. Dallas has won and covered two straight with a 110-100 home win over Sacramento on Tuesday, then a 112-103 road win at Golden state on Thursday.

I look for the Mavericks to continue playing well against Portland tonight. The Trail Blazers are coming off a 118-110 home victory over Golden State Wednesday, but this team is all but eliminated from the playoffs. They'll have a tough time getting up to play every game from here on out.

Portland has only won back-to-back games once since late January. This team has been playing terrible for quite some time, and ownership has basically decided to rebuild by trading away Gerald Wallace and Marcus Camby. Making matters worse is the fact that leading scorer and rebounder LaMarcus Aldridge will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury.

This has been a thrilling series this season, with both meetings going into overtime. However, the Blazers have no chance tonight without their best player. Aldridge has scored 58 points while grabbing 24 rebounds in their first two games against Dallas this season, and that's production that they simply cannot replace.

The Mavericks are 38-18-1 ATS in their last 57 road games vs. a team with a winning home record. The Blazers are 5-16 ATS in their last 21 games following a S.U. win. Dallas is 27-14 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 over the last 2 seasons. Portland is 1-13 ATS when the line is +3 to -3 this season, failing to cover 93% of the time. Roll with the Mavericks Friday.