2 Studs and 2 Duds from the Trail Blazers' hard-fought loss to the Mavericks

The Portland Trail Blazers are now 8-13 on the season after falling 137-131 in a back-and-forth contest against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. The Blazers had an advantage being at home with their underrated deep bench, while the Mavericks were coming off the second half of a back-to-back, winning 106-94 over the Utah Jazz the night before.

The Mavericks entered Moda Center on a hot streak, winning seven of their last eight games (and going 5-1 without Luka Doncic). Doncic was questionable leading up to the game but was able to play. However, Dallas was still shorthanded against Portland, with Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, Dereck Lively II, and Naji Marshall ruled out.

Meanwhile, the Blazers entered the matchup, winning four straight games while playing at home. Portland also had injuries of their own entering the game without Scoot Henderson, Robert Williams III, Donovan Clingan, and Matisse Thybulle. Despite injuries and foul trouble, the Blazers were highly competitive in their close loss to the reigning Western Conference champions.

Stud No. 1: Anfernee Simons

Anfernee Simons already had four fouls by halftime, which contributed to him playing only 23 minutes in total and having two shot attempts by halftime (resulting in three points). He was initially going to be on the dud list due to his lack of impact in the first half. Still, he made up for it with a solid second half, including an explosive 24-point third quarter (a career-high) to single-handedly help keep the Blazers alive.

Simons picked up his fifth foul towards the end of the third and checked back in with 8:14 remaining in the fourth. Unfortunately, just two seconds after checking in, Simons committed his sixth foul on a loose ball following a free throw miss.

Still, the Blazers wouldn't have been in the game had it not been for Simons' electrifying and impactful third quarter. While it would have been nice to see him play more in such a close game, his third-quarter performance alone puts Simons atop the studs list.

Stud No. 2: Toumani Camara

Doncic is always a dangerous player, but especially with Thompson and Irving both out, it was inevitable that he would leave his mark on the game. Luka finished with a game-high 36 points, along with 13 assists, seven rebounds, and three steals. The Blazers did their best to contain Luka, throwing Tomani Camara at him to start, who has become accustomed to guarding the opposing team's best player just two years into the NBA.

Camara's ability to hold his own relatively on defense against arguably the league's best player allowed the Blazers not to double Doncic, where he becomes even more dangerous as a playmaker with such a high basketball IQ. Doncic's offensive success also doesn't lie entirely on Camara, as Chauncey Billups' defensive game plan for Portland was essentially to switch everything.

Camara is known for his defense, but he also made a significant impact for Portland on the offensive end, showcasing that he may be the Blazers' desperate answer as their long-term 3-and-D wing. He shot six of ten from the field and five of seven from deep.

Dud No. 1: Jerami Grant

Jerami Grant returned after a two-game absence. Grant has a solid case to make as Portland's best player when fully healthy. However, he looked a little rusty in this matchup, recording 14 points on 4 of 10 shooting from the field, the lowest point total amongst all Blazers' starters.

Despite the game favoring offense, Grant was more passive than usual. Grant has been more effective as a secondary or tertiary star in the past, whether with Damian Lillard in Portland or Nikola Jokic in Denver. It's become clear that Grant is a great, but not elite, player who can't consistently be the go-to player on a winning team.

Hopefully, his trade value is still high for Portland despite his relatively poor play as of late, as he's arguably their most apparent trade candidate between now and February's trade deadline.

Dud No. 2: Jabari Walker

With Clingan and Williams ruled out, the Blazers suddenly went from having an excess number of centers to their lack of depth being a positional weakness. Billups elected to implement Jabari Walker, a 6-foot-7 forward, as the Blazers' primary backup center to spell Ayton. That experiment wasn't effective; Walker was undersized on the defensive end in terms of being a rim protector, as it seemed as if Doncic and company scored at will in the paint when Ayton was off the floor.

But Walker didn't make up for it on the offensive end, either. He has shot just 15.4 percent from beyond the arc in 2024-25, and his only field goal attempt in 12 minutes was an extremely bad miss from deep. Walker had plenty of other opportunities from three as the Mavericks seemed to have sagged off after that miss, but he didn't appear confident enough to pull the trigger.

If Walker can't shoot threes and can't provide rim protection, then he's not an ideal fit for the Blazers' frontcourt rotation going forward. They'd be better off giving his minutes to stretch-five Duop Reath, a DNP (coach's decision).