By Jim Taylor
TrailBlazers.com

Las Vegas, NV -- A spirited fourth quarter rally by the Trail Blazers came up short on Sunday as the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 72-68 win in NBA Summer League action at Cox Pavilion in Las Vegas.

Dallas enjoyed their largest lead of the game, 62-58, with 8:10 left to go in the game, but an 8-0 spurt led by four straight points from Sergio Rodriguez pulled Portland to within two with 4:43 remaining to be played. However, Dallas guard Jose Juan Barca nearly single-handedly closed the door shut on Portland scoring eight of the Mavericks last 10 points to insure victory.

LaMarcus Aldridge had another impressive summer league showing with 16 points (7-12 FG), 11 rebounds and three blocks to pace the Portland attack.

Greg Oden also had a solid outing for Portland with 13 points (6-11 FG), five boards and four blocked shots, which delighted the large contingent of Trail Blazers fans in attendance.

“I felt more comfortable out there, but we lost so it really doesn’t matter,” said Oden. “I’m all about winning, so whatever I do, it really doesn’t matter.”

Oden once again found himself in foul trouble, committing nine on Sunday after fouling out with 10 in Friday night’s loss to Boston. Summer league rules allow a player 10 fouls before fouling out of the game.

“The guys who’ve played tell me it’s not like that in the regular season,” said Oden. “The referees are out there trying new stuff, so all I have to do is still play physical, but be smart about it.”

Barea led the Mavericks with 17 points (5-9 FG, 6-7 FT) and three assists in 25 minutes of action. Forward Pops Mensha-Bonsu had 10 points (3-7 FG, 4-9 FT) and 13 rebounds in the win.

Turnovers plagued the Trail Blazers Sunday and may have been the difference as they fell to 0-2 in summer league play. As a team, Portland committed 21 turnovers, six by Rodriguez, who otherwise had a good game scoring 14 points (6-15 FG), eight rebounds and five assists.

With his second straight double-double, Aldridge continues to be the story for Portland at the Las Vegas summer league. The 6-11 forward has shined at both ends of the floor and is currently sixth (21.0 PPG) in summer league scoring, second in rebounding (11.1 RPG) and third in blocked shots (3.0 BPG).

“He’s a beast,” said Oden. “I didn’t know he was that good, but playing alongside him makes me feel better because when I’m not on, I just give him the ball and get out of the way.”

Portland returns to summer league action Wednesday night when they take on the Los Angeles Lakers.

NOTES: Channing Frye watched his new team play from the stands, while NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy joined the team on the bench, but did not play.