Mavs Sputter Against Blazers
{fshare id=5707}
PORTLAND — For a half, it was a battle. Then the Portland Trail Blazers turned up the intensity and the Dallas Mavericks faded away.
Trailing 50-46 at halftime, the Trail Blazers outscored the Mavericks 35-18 in the third quarter and breezed to a 108-87 victory Thursday night at the Moda Center.
“We picked it up, put our foot on their throats and then finished them off,” Portland center Chris Kaman said after the Blazers’ most one-sided triumph over Dallas in more than 12 years.
Forward LaMarcus Aldridge scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds despite sitting out the fourth quarter and guard Damian Lillard contributed 18 points, six assists and five rebounds for the Blazers.
Forward Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 17 points, but managed only two points in the second half. Guard Monta Ellis added 14 points, just four after intermission.
“We defended well the first half; we just couldn’t get ourselves going like we’d have liked offensively,” Lillard said. “The second half, we put both ends together, and that’s why we were able to pull away.”
The Mavericks entered the game leading the NBA in scoring (111.8) and field-goal percentage (.524). They scored nearly 25 points under their average and shot a season-low .367.
“Our first half was OK, but the second was very poor,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “I’m going
to take responsibility for all of that. I have to do a better job getting these guys ready to play an entire 48 minutes. That’s where it’s at.”
Portland shot .519 from the field, including .562 in the second half, and drilled 12 of 30 3-point attempts — 9 of 18 after the break. The Blazers dominated the backboards 53-34, owning a whopping 29-12 advantage in the second half.
“Coming out of the locker room (at halftime), we picked up our aggressiveness,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “There was a lot to like.”
Nowitzki scored 12 points in the second quarter to stake the Mavericks to a 50-46 edge at intermission. Aldridge kept the Blazers in it with 14 points and Kaman came off the bench for eight points on 4-for-4 shooting.
Portland seized control with a 19-5 burst at the onset of the third quarter to go in front 65-55. Soon it was 71-59, with Aldridge and guard Wesley Matthews doing much of the damage. Dallas scored seven in a row to close the gap to 71-66, but the Blazers answered with a 10-0 streak for an 81-66 lead late in the period.
When Portland increased the margin to 88-70 early in the fourth quarter, the issue was decided.
“We have to get better fast at the defensive end,” Carlisle said. “We have been doing a lot of good things, but our defense has been inconsistent. We have to make a stand there.”
The Mavericks entered the game with the worst third-quarter point differential in the league.
“We haven’t been playing the third quarter,” guard Jameer Nelson said. “We keep saying the same thing at the end of every game. We have to come out better than that.”
Aldridge had half of Portland’s first-quarter points, knocking down 5 of 7 shots for 10 points. But the Mavericks shut down his teammates, taking a 24-20 lead after one quarter.
But the Blazers came out of the gates smoking in the second period, using an 8-0 run to go ahead 28-24. Dallas responded with a 16-6 spurt to back on top 40-34. The Mavericks took it from there to enter halftime with a four-point advantage.
