Mavericks 108, Trail Blazers 106
Monta Ellis drained the game-winning 21-footer at the buzzer to cap a 22-point outing as visiting Dallas notched an impressive win over red-hot Portland.
Dirk Nowitzki had 28 points and seven assists and DeJuan Blair and Jose Calderon scored 15 points apiece for the Mavericks, who won their third consecutive game. The Trail Blazers tied the contest on Damian Lillard’s 3-pointer with 1.9 seconds left before Ellis sank the game-winning hoop from near the top of the key.
Lillard matched a season high with 32 points for the Trail Blazers, who had a four-game winning streak snapped and slipped to 17-4. Nicolas Batum added 22 points, LaMarcus Aldridge contributed 19 points and 13 rebounds and Robin Lopez had 14 points and 14 boards.
Lillard hit back-to-back 3-pointers to tie the score at 94 with 3:55 remaining before Dallas recovered to take a 106-100 lead after a turnaround by Ellis with 45.5 seconds left. Batum hit a 3-pointer to slice Portland’s deficit in half before Lillard was ruled to be barely behind the line while connecting on his fifth 3-pointer of the contest.
The Mavericks shot 58.1 percent from the field in the first half and led 55-53 at the break. Dallas led by as many as 10 in the third quarter before Portland recovered to take a one-point lead late in the stanza, and the Mavericks took a three-point lead into the fourth.
GAME NOTEBOOK: One night after setting a franchise-record with 17 3-pointers, the Trail Blazers were 9-of-30 from behind the arc. … Nowitzki made three 3-pointers as Dallas was 8-of-16. … Portland collected 17 offensive rebounds and had a 50-36 edge on the boards.