This feels like one of those games that tells you a lot about where Dallas actually is right now.

The Mavericks head into Portland after back-to-back close losses, and the common thread has been impossible to ignore: self-inflicted damage. Twenty-one turnovers in Sacramento erased multiple comeback attempts, and with Dallas now 4–13 without Anthony Davis, every mistake carries extra weight — especially if he’s limited or unavailable again.

On the other side, Portland just showed exactly what Dallas hasn’t. The Blazers turned the ball over 17 times in the first half against Boston… then flipped the switch, had only four in the second half, and closed the game with force. Shaedon Sharpe got hot, Deni Avdija created offense, Donovan Clingan controlled the glass, and suddenly a young team looked confident instead of careless.

That’s where Monday gets interesting.

Dallas has owned this matchup historically — 14 wins in the last 17 meetings — but this version of the Mavericks is searching for stability. Cooper Flagg has shown he can swing games in a hurry, yet the grind of the schedule is real, and his five turnovers Saturday mattered just as much as his 23 points.

Is the biggest key cutting down the turnovers, or is it matching Portland’s physicality and energy on the glass? Do the Mavericks need to slow the game down, or can they afford to run with a young Blazers team that just outworked Boston? Who has to step up to avoid another late-game collapse?

Curious where you land — because Monday feels less like a schedule stop and more like a tone-setter for how this trip ends.