PORTLAND, Ore. -- The Dallas Mavericks left the Metroplex on Monday afternoon knowing that they might be embarking on a season-defining road trip.
The Mavericks (19-25) must make a significant statement on a road trip like this one as they hope to land one of the Western Conference's eight playoff spots.The weeklong, four-game journey starts tonight at 9 at the Rose Garden in Portland against the struggling Trail Blazers (22-22), who have lost seven of their past nine games.The Mavericks then move down the coast to tangle with the red-hot Golden State Warriors on Thursday.That will be followed by a Friday night game in Phoenix before the trip ends Monday in Oklahoma City."This is going to be a big test for us," said Donnie Nelson, the Mavericks' president of basketball operations. "We need everybody to bring their 'A' game and bring it every night, because we're in a stretch of the season where every game is going to count."There are a lot of teams jockeying for position, so this road trip absolutely is important."The Mavericks are tied with the Los Angeles Lakers for 10th place in the West, with both teams four and a half games behind the Houston Rockets for the eighth and final playoff spot. But keeping pace with the Lakers could be doubly tough if the Mavericks don't start winning on the road, where they're only 7-16."We've got some tough games against some teams that are right there with us or ahead of us," forward Dirk Nowitzki said after Monday's practice. "So it should be fun to go back on the road and see what we've got."Kaman's timeChris Kaman isn't exactly pleased that his minutes have dwindled in recent games.Signed to a one-year, $8 million contract last summer to be the Mavericks' starting center, Kaman has played 17 or fewer minutes in five of the past eight games. He has played 23, 21 and 23 minutes in the other three games of the stretch.Kaman didn't start Friday against San Antonio in favor of Elton Brand, or Sunday against Phoenix in favor of rookie Bernard James."Sometimes there's a difference of opinions, but that's OK," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "Reasonable men have the right to disagree."Cunningham moveThe Mavericks re-assigned rookie point guard Jared Cunningham to the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League on Monday. In eight games with the Mavs, Cunningham has averaged two points in 3.3 minutes per game.Dwain Price, 817-390-7760Twitter: @DwainPrice
GameDay: Dallas Mavericks at Portland Trail Blazers
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