Dirk Nowitzki leads Dallas Mavericks to 101–89 win over the Portland Trail Blazers: NBA Playoffs
Dirk Nowitzki finished with 33 points as the Dallas Mavericks outplayed the Portland Trail Blazers in the final quarter to register a 101–89 win at the American Airlines Centre in Dallas on Tuesday night. Nowitzki kept the Blazers defence on its toes as
he kept drawing fouls and made 15-of-17 free-throws to lift the Mavericks to the win.
Peja Stojakovic went 8-of-13 from the field to score 21 points off the bench, while Jason Kidd added 18 points and eight assists to put the Mavericks 2–0 up in their first round playoff series.
Both teams had nearly identical stats for most of the game before Dallas outscored Portland 28–17 in the last quarter to run away with the game.
LaMarcus Aldridge’s jumper in the fifth minute gave the Trail Blazers an early 17–9 lead in the first quarter. Dallas later went on a 7–0 run to tie the game at 19 apiece with less than two minutes to go in the opening period.
The second quarter was more closely contested as both teams traded shots at the basket to stay within touching distance of each other. Dirk Nowitzki added 10 points in the period to offset the effort by Wesley Matthews and LaMarcus Aldridge, as the Trail
Blazers held a narrow 52-50 lead going into the second half.
Jason Kidd came out came out blazing in the second half, as he put in nine straight points for the Mavericks to give them a 59–55 lead. Shawn Marion banked in a shot and Nowitzki followed with another shot off the glass and got fouled on the play. He drilled
the resultant free-throw to give Dallas a seven-point lead with less than eight minutes to go in the third.
In the final quarter, J.J. Barea put in five straight points to give Dallas a five-point cushion. Dallas then went on a 10–4 run to extend their lead to 88–80 with six minutes left to go.
Dirk Nowitzki then scored the Mavericks’ final 11 points to seal the win for his team and give them a sizable 2–0 advantage in their first-round playoff series against the Trail Blazers.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 24 points and grabbed 10 rebounds while Andre Miller had 18 points and eight assists for Portland. Gerald Wallace also had a good all-round game for his 18 points, seven boards and six assists.
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