Mavericks 103, Trail Blazers 98
Dirk Nowitzki scored eight of his 21 points in the final 2:24 as the host Dallas Mavericks held off LaMarcus Aldridge and the Portland Trail Blazers 103-98 Wednesday night.
Aldridge, a Dallas native, scored a season-high 35 points, including 20 in the fourth quarter. He finished 14 for 26 from the field and also had 10 rebounds.
Caron Butler had 23 points on 10-for-19 shooting and added seven rebounds and four assists for the Mavericks (20-5), who had a 12-game winning streak snapped Monday by Milwaukee.
Portland (12-14) trailed by as many as 16 points in the third quarter before tying the game at 93, but Nowitzki gave the Mavericks the lead for good 95-93 with 1:49 left.
The Mavericks finished the second quarter with a 19-4 run to take a 51-36 lead at halftime.
Jason Kidd had 11 points, seven rebounds and six assists while Tyson Chandler had 11 points and eight rebounds for the Mavericks.
Aldridge, who scored 10 straight Portland points during a stretch in the fourth quarter, finished one point off his career high.