Mavs Defeat Blazers

DALLAS — Dirk Nowitzki scored a historic 40 points and the Dallas Mavericks snapped a five-game home losing streak by outlasting the Portland Trail Blazers 132-120 in overtime Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks (35-35) also made it back to .500 by winning for the first time on their court since March 1 and clinched the season series against Portland (36-35).

The head-to-head matchup could come into play with the Mavs and Blazers battling for position at the bottom of the Western Conference playoff standings. Portland is currently sixth, with Dallas and Houston (35-35) a half-game back.

The Blazers and Mavericks meet again Wednesday in Portland. Both teams are off until then.

Nowitzki reached 40 for the first time since Jan. 11, 2024, and drilled a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 run to open the extra session. The 37-year-old former MVP hit 16-of-26 shots, including 3-5 from deep, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in 39 minutes.

Nowitzki became only the fourth player in NBA history to score at least 40 at age 37 or older. The others are Michael Jordan, Kareem Abdul-Jabber and Karl Malone.

Point guard Deron Williams added season highs in points (31) and assists (16) for the Mavs, who were without Chandler Parsons. Wesley Matthews shook off an early turned ankle to

score 15 on five 3-pointers.

Dallas also received an unexpected contribution from backup center Salah Mejri. In a game where Zaza Pachulia returned to the starting lineup, the little-used reserve set a season high with 14 rebounds, scored 13 and blocked six shots.

The Blazers received 20-point performances from Damien Lillard (26), C.J. McCollum (22) and Allan Crabbe (24) off the bench. Lillard tied the game at 113-all with a driving bank with 29.7 seconds left in regulation.

The Mavericks needed to withstand Portland’s long-range barrage to open the fourth quarter. The Blazers went on a 17-6 run to take a 99-96 lead, with Crabbe and Al-Farouq Aminu each knocking down a pair of 3-pointers.

Portland would knock down 18 from beyond the arc for the game. Crabbe had six 3-pointers, with Lillard and Aminu both notching four. McCollum had three from downtown.

The Blazers have lost seven of their last 10 games. The Mavs won for only the second time in nine games.

Dallas’ home skid was the its longest since 1999-2000, the same season Mark Cuban bought the franchise.

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