Dallas Mavericks sneak past Portland Trail Blazers 84-81
No Dirk Nowitzki and Caron Butler, No Problem.
The Dallas Mavericks still had enough firepower as they managed an 84-81 victory over the visiting Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas.
Dallas overcame big nights from Jason Terry (18 points, 4 assists, 3 rebounds) and DeShawn Stevenson (18 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) to win infront of their home crowd. Tyson Chandler (14 points, 13 assists, 7 rebounds) and Point guard Jose Juan Barea
(10 points, 3 assists, 2 rebounds) led the Mavericks.
"The one thing we can do as team is get better defensively. Other than the first few minutes of the game, I thought we really battled, we played a really gritty type of game. And that's what we're going to have to do," Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle
said after the game.
LaMarcus Aldridge did all he could and ended with 28 points and 10 boards for the Trail Blazers. Unfortunately, he missed a potential game-tying three-pointer at the buzzer for Portland. Nicolas Batum had 13 points and seven rebounds. While Marcus Camby
contributed 10 points and a game-high 20 rebounds for Portland, who lost the 17th game of the season.
Game Story
The Mavericks got some very bad news when they learned that Dirk Nowitzki (sprained right knee) and Caron Butler (right knee surgery) would not be available for the game. However, they were not fazed by the challenge. They went out onto the court, shared
the basketball, and ran all over the Trail Blazers once again.
The first aspect that jumps out is the pace. Mavericks and Portland began the game at a crisp pace, using 24 possessions apiece in the opening quarter. However, they used just 50 each over the final three quarters. Both teams started the second quarter sluggishly,
but Jason Kidd's three-pointer with over four minutes left in the first half, put Dallas up by 38-33.
The pace stalled more and more as the second half wore on. The Mavericks have not been particularly efficient offensively when the game slows down, but both sides efficiency seemed to seemed to suffer as the game progressed.
In the third quarter, the back-and-forth battle continued, with neither side able to pull away in the contest. Terry’s jumper tied the game at 56-all with over three minutes left in the third. However, Stevenson's driving lay-up and free throw put the hosts
ahead for good, with a 62-60 advantage after three quarters. Portland fought hard to get back into the game, but Dallas used a 12-4 run over the final four minutes to win the game.
Jason Terry told reporters after the game, "Defensively, we've been a top team in the league all year long and we can't let up now because we're missing two of our main pieces. We have to really, really concentrate on defense now. We shut them down in the
half-court defence in the final quarter, so that was big."
Figures of the Game
It was season’s 26th victory for the Dallas Mavericks, and the 17th defeat for the Portland Trail Blazers.
It was the Maverick’s 19th win in their last 23 games. Nowitzki missed his fifth consecutive game and remains under day-to-day observation.
The Trail Blazers have dropped 19 of the last 22 meetings in Dallas. For the second time in his last three games, Marcus Camby pulled down 20 rebounds to match his most as a Trail Blazer.
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