The Portland Trail Blazers won their second straight game against the Dallas Mavericks 140-123 Sunday night at the Moda Center. Dallas All-Star Luke Doncic sat out the second night of the duel. However, Damian Lillard played and scored 40 points with 6 assists in 37 minutes. Blazers forward Nassir Little returned from a long injury layoff, scoring 10 goals in a 3-5 shootout. Jusuf Nurkic helped Lillard dominate the fourth quarter and finished the game with 20 points. Anfernee Simons and Jerami Grant also scored 20 points each. Mavericks guard Spencer Dinwiddie scored 28 goals in Doncic’s absence but it wasn’t nearly enough to give his team a win. In fact, it was barely enough to qualify him as your average Portland starter tonight.
The teams collectively scored 75 free-throw attempts in the game.
The win moves Portland’s record to 21-22, keeping them in the thick of the Western Conference playoff race despite a recent five-game losing streak.
first quarter
The Mavericks missed Luka Doncic in their early sets, but they didn’t have to work too hard to read the Blazers using the same tactic that worked so well for them last night: blitz pick-and-rolls to pinch the dribbler . Dallas took extra time to build plays in these situations; Things didn’t go so smoothly without their superstar. But with a little time, they found open shots off the pass. Three-point attempts abounded, although they missed more than their share.
No matter what the Mavs did on offense, they wouldn’t stop Damian Lillard at the other end. Dame drove the lane like she owned it and smashed the Dallas defense into baby food mush. When Lillard wasn’t scoring himself, forwards Jerami Grant, Josh Hart and Anfernee Simons made hay against an over-the-top save from Dame Dishes.
The only development to mar the Blazers’ first six minutes was Jusuf Nurkic, who committed two fouls in under four minutes. That took away the pick and roll attack and forced them to rely a little more on bald penetration or deep shots from dribbling. But whenever they got too happy with iso-shots, Lillard would take the track and mix again. Then her attempts came free.
Portland led 21-15 at the 6:00 mark, beneficiaries of Lillard’s size and Grant’s scoring momentum playing off him.
The blazers also showed tears at the edges. They had trouble dealing with the penetration of Spencer Dinwiddie. Reggie Bullock wouldn’t miss a candid threesome. These two had 13 points combined in the first seven minutes of the game. Hart earned his second foul in the same amount of time, joining Nurkic as an early starter in perpetual foul trouble contender. When Christian Wood started pounding home dunks, the Blazers cracked a little. Dallas had the lead to 3 with 4:00 remaining.
With Lillard stepping back a little, Grant and Simons attempted to hit the Blazers in the late middle minutes of the period. They were modestly successful. The Mavericks, who continued to miss wide-open threes, helped matters considerably, as did Dinwiddie, who earned a second personal foul on his part during a whistle-intensive period.
Head coach Chauncey Billups kept Dame balanced throughout the first half, playing alongside Shaedon Sharpe, Jabari Walker and the reserves as they checked in. The success rate without the best players was lower than it was when Lillard had multiple options, but it served. Gary Payton II was active and disruptive. Drew Eubanks did the usual stand-up job on defense. Portland finished the period 33-31, a late goal slowdown that turned a potentially great quarter into a good one.
second quarter
Lillard attempted to put the fourth away in the first 90 seconds of the second, hitting a step-back three and getting fouled by another. He had the shot button on turbo and didn’t wait for anyone to try to score. Both teams favored the three as Gary Payton II, Dallas Guard McKinley Wright IV and (once again) Damian Lillard the Only all sank them in quick succession.
Scoring dried up and play slowed significantly as the quarter rolled toward its midpoint. Missed shots and momentum-braking whistles shaped the action. The most exciting developments for the Blazers were Nurkic, who played face-off against undersized defenders inside, and the long-awaited return of Nassir Little.
Both the pace and Dallas’ scoring picked up after the 6:00 mark. The Mavs ran the ball, pulled a third foul on Nurkic and thrived when Wood capitalized on his own height advantage after Nurk sat. Lillard continued to score – and occasionally assist – but anything outside of his hands dried up for Portland.
But lady was enough. As Dallas kept running and running, he kept his cool, hitting every available target on his frequent (and unstoppable) runs. He would end the half with 22 points and 5 assists. Dallas eventually sold the farm to the defense to get the ball out of his hands. Portland missed a few, but Hart and co. hit the offensive glass and gave them extra chances. The Blazers stuttered slightly but still finished 61-54 at the half.
Third quarter
Dallas went inside out to start the third. Their bigger players – Wood and Davis Bertans – scored inside the arc. Dinwiddie then stroked a three. Nurkic continued his killing spree from the second quarter but it took about three minutes before he pulled his fourth foul and put an end to it. The Mavericks’ goal beat Portland 16-8 in the first four minutes and they caught up almost immediately.
The lead wobbled for a few minutes as teams traded single point margins. A couple of threes from Grant in the sixth minute gave Portland their lead back. They led 77-74 with 5:59 remaining. Dinwiddie picked up his fourth foul at that precise moment, giving Portland a potential weak spot to attack. With the free throws that followed, Simons scored the 79:74 and gave his team as much breathing space as they had during the entire game.
Dallas attempted to launch an early offense to claw back the points, but — in the absence of point guards — failed to get off the launch pad on several possessions. Some went late. Others were interrupted by fouls, resulting in Dallas free throws… pretty much the only way they consistently scored. But Portland began to capitalize on turnovers and convert run-outs into quick points of their own. At the 4:00 mark, the Blazers had the lead back to 7 and salvaged a potentially disastrous quarter.
History got better for Portland inside the 3:00 mark when Little stroked his third three of the game. Little looked comfortable on the floor, especially with his open punches. Best of all, the Blazers behind Little and co. again extended their lead without Lillard on the floor. Lillard also didn’t take over when he returned at 2:00. The biggest firework of the last 120 came from Shaedon Sharpe, who drove the baseline for a huge dunk on the halfcourt. That made the result 98-89, Portland.
Dallas got a three from Jaden Hardy and a conventional three-point play from Dwight Powell in the closing seconds, but the Blazers still led 98-95 at the third-period horn. Wood had 11 in the period for Dallas.
fourth quarter
The fourth period started with a short shot from Dame, who announced his intention to win it. Grant fouled Dinwiddie with a three on the next play, allowing Dallas to get it right back. Then queen was bumped for one-and-one on a foul line “J”. Then Powell dived in at the other end. Then Little was fouled on a Skying dunk put-back attempt. And Dinwiddie hit a looping scooper in lane. hoo boy That’s how it would be.
After that excitement, a big event ensued when Dinwiddie canceled his fifth foul by getting in the way of a Nurkic drive. The clock had more than 10 minutes left. The Mavs kept him in there for better or worse.
Hardy and Lillard would both score on the next two possessions before Dinwiddie finally missed a jumper and broke the streak of back-to-back possessions for both teams. At this point, Portland led 109-103 with 9:30 remaining.
But then the lid fell on Portland and the fireworks began. After three combined free throws for Lillard and Nurkic, Lillard hit a three and Nurk followed with his own. The top buds scored 9 points in 80 seconds, increasing Portland’s lead to 15, 118-103 with 8:08 remaining. If Dallas had one run left, it would have to be a huge one.
When Lillard stole a pass on next possession and Nurkic hit a half hook into the post to complete the transition, hopes of a comeback were dashed. Dame and Nurk headed to Salt Bae after that win and the Moda Center rocked the rest of the night.
Next
box score
Stay tuned for an in-depth analysis of the game coming soon!
The Blazers are getting Martin Luther King, Jr. a day off before traveling to Denver to face the Nuggets Tuesday night at 7:00 p.m. Pacific.