Trail Blazers at Mavericks
THE STORY: Dallas overcame a poor shooting stretch as veterans Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd helped rally the Mavericks to an 89-81 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers in Game 1. Dallas, which has been knocked out of the playoffs in the first round three of the last four years, will try to take a 2-0 series lead when it hosts Portland on Tuesday night. The Blazers trail despite enjoying a considerable advantage inside Saturday as they outscored the Mavericks 30-2 in the paint in the second half, and will look to rising star LaMarcus Aldridge to send the series back to Portland 1-1.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, TNT, KTXA (Dallas), Comcast Sports Northwest (Portland)
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS: Portland is 1-17 in first-round playoff series when it loses the opener. Coach Nate McMillan said he essentially forgot about the substitution pattern and guard Wesley Matthews, who got into early foul trouble and finished with two points, one rebound and three turnovers in 19 minutes. Matthews entered the playoffs averaging 15.6 points. Portland center Marcus Camby had 18 rebounds, one shy of his career playoff high, and five assists, but interestingly sat the final 11 minutes despite having only three fouls. Aldridge led Portland with 27 points, including 11 of the Trail Blazers' first 15.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS: Dallas looked to be in serious trouble entering the final six minutes after it had gone almost 11 minutes without a basket. That’s when Nowitzki took over. He scored 18 of his 28 points in the fourth quarter, including 12 consecutive points, and also made all 13 of his free throws in the final period. Kidd came through by making 6-of-10 3-pointers, a playoff high. Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle sat guard Roddy Beaubois (sprained left foot), and the young Frenchman is likely to remain sidelined Tuesday.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Gerald Wallace scored only eight points on 4-of-13 shooting for Portland after averaging 19.1 points in his final 13 games. Kidd established a season high for points Saturday with 24.
KEY STATISTIC: Dallas was 25-for-29 from the free-throw line, including 18-for-19 in the fourth quarter. Portland was 9-for-13, including 1-for-2 in the fourth quarter.
LAST WORD: “Jason Kidd played the game of the year to this point. Every shot he made, every play he made was absolutely essential for us. His leadership is something you can't quantify.” – Carlisle.