Mavericks at Trail Blazers
THE STORY: Portland used a 12-2 run to start the fourth quarter and that proved key in Thursday’s 97-92 Game 3 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, who had 16 turnovers. The Trail Blazers will now try to even the series in Game 4 Saturday at the Rose Garden. Dallas still must prove it can win on the road, having lost 17 of its last 19 playoff road games.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, TNT, KGW, KTXA
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS: Dallas got a better-than-expected effort from Jason Terry, who had 29 points on 10-for-13 shooting and seven rebounds, and the continued steady play of Dirk Nowitzki, who had 25 points and nine rebounds. But the Mavericks got just two points from Tyson Chandler before he fouled out with 7:24 remaining. The Mavericks need more from their best interior defender. Nowitzki, who had made 28 of 30 free throws entering Game 3, was just 4 of 7. “We gave away way too many points,” Terry said. “Free throws, turnovers and early on in the first quarter, we gave them too much confidence.”
ABOUT THE TRAIL BLAZERS: Portland got exactly what it needed Thursday with breakout games from Wesley Matthews and Brandon Roy. Matthews scored 22 of his 25 points in the first half, making four 3-pointers in the first six minutes. Roy shook off two bad games, along with his criticism for lack of playing time, and scored 16 points while being effective on both ends of the court. “Coming home, it was a combination of must-win, our home crowd,” Matthews said. “They took care of their home court. Now it's time for us to take care of ours.” The Trail Blazers even got six key minutes from Chris Johnson. The rookie center had three rebounds and two blocked shots in his first taste of playoff action. “Role players play a lot better when they’re at home,” Nowitzki said.
WHO’S HOT/WHO’S NOT: Jason Kidd’s game cooled off Thursday. He was averaging 21 points in the first two games, but had just eight in Game 3 and went just 2 of 8 from 3-point range. Roy made six of his first seven shots, and added four assists and no turnovers in 24 minutes.
KEY STATISTIC: Dallas was uncharacteristically shaky from the free-throw line in Game 3, making just 13 of 23 attempts.
LAST WORD: “We continue to game-plan for Roy as an All-Star player because he’s capable of doing that on any night. He’s done it to us, so I’m not surprised.” - Dallas coach Rick Carlisle on a strategy for Roy.