OnOff
DALLAS,TEXAS — The Dallas Mavericks (27-15) were seeking to avenge their October loss to the Portland Trail Blazers (18-25) and they did just that in the final minutes of regulation.
Immediately, Portland looked like the more energetic team by starting the first quarter on a 14-3 run. It took a minute for Dallas to get the engines going but once Luka Doncic knocked down a 3-pointer and then made a pair of free throws soon after the boys in blue trailed by one point.
At that point, it was a game of ping pong where neither team held on to the lead for very long.
Doncic led Dallas with 14 points to finish the opening frame. The All-Star candidate also shot extremely well from downtown knocking down 4-5 in the first quarter alone. Damian Lillard led Portland with 11 points.
Also worth mentioning, Tim Hardaway Jr. made his 100th 3-pointer in the first quarter. He finished the first half with 11 points.
Dallas held onto a narrow 38-37 lead heading into the second quarter.
Both Doncic and Lillard spent a noticeably odd amount of time on the bench before entering the game again in the second quarter. Doncic didn’t return to play until there was 5:23 left in the first half. Lillard made his way back to the court with just over seven minutes left.
Even with Doncic missing most of the second quarter, he still finished with 23 points in the first half. According to Mavs PR, this would be the eighth time this season he’s scored 20-plus points in the opening half and the ninth time in his career.
Their absence wasn’t entirely missed because both benches stepped up to keep the game competitive. Jalen Brunson came alive in the second quarter and sank a 3-pointer to give the Mavs a seven point lead. At the half, Brunson had 13 points on 5-7 from the field.
The Mavericks held on to most of the momentum towards the back end of the first half. They led by as much as 10 points. The boys in blue were already shooting much better compared to that October nightmare in the first meeting between Portland. Going into the third quarter, Dallas was shooting 46.9 percent from the field and 46.2 percent from beyond.
The Trail Blazers were shooting better at 58.5 percent from the field and were 10-12 from the charity stripe.
Dallas remained ahead 72-63 at halftime.
Both teams put up 26 points in the third quarter but the Mavs held on yet again to the lead going into the fourth quarter up 98-89. Portland continued to chase Dallas trying to cut down the deficit but the Mavs were heating up and never let the Trail Blazers steal the lead.
Hardaway Jr. was the biggest factor in Dallas heating up by collecting a season-high 15 points in the third quarter.
With just over seven minutes left in regulation the Trail Blazers trailed by four points but that didn’t slow down the Mavericks attack. Doncic and Hardaway Jr. knocked down a few threes to put the nail in the coffin and seal the win for the Mavs 120-112.
This game was a night and day difference from the first meeting in October where Dallas shot well under 40 percent from the field. As for tonight, the Mavs finished with 43.8 percent from the field, 42.6 percent from beyond and won the battle of the boards 43-40.
Portland finished with 51.8 percent from the floor and 30.0 percent from beyond. Lillard and Carmelo Anthony combined for 55 points along with Hassian Whiteside adding 21 points to the mix.
Doncic finished with 35 points with Hardaway adding 29 points. The Mavericks bench also outscored the Trail Blazers 32-20. In all cylinders, Dallas was playing lights out. The icing on the cake is that the Mavericks are now 7-1 when Doncic has a 20-point first half.
Dallas has now won four straight games even without Kristaps Porzingis in the mix who is still out with right knee soreness.
LEADING SCORERS:
D. Lillard – 34 points, 10 assists, one rebound
L. Doncic – 35 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists
The Mavericks will be back in action against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday at the American Airlines Center.
