PORTLAND, Ore., March 9 (Ticker) -- Dirk Nowitzki and the Dallas Mavericks needed a win to get back on track. Fortunately for them, they had another game against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Nowitzki scored 33 points and the Mavericks continued their dominance of the series with a 109-92 victory over the Trail Blazers.

NBA TV highlights from Mavericks-Blazers: Play

Dallas was 10-1 in February but had been sputtering in March, splitting four games, including losses to Western Conference rivals San Antonio and Phoenix. On Thursday, Dallas took command early to win its 10th straight in the series and send Portland to its ninth loss in 10 games. The Mavericks also swept a home-and-home series with the Trail Blazers after winning 93-87 in Dallas on Tuesday.

"It was nice to get the win and get the series over with," Nowitzki said. "They are a young, athletic team and it is always difficult playing the same team back-to-back during the season."

Nowitzki, who added 10 rebounds, scored the last six points of a 13-4 run that ended the first quarter and gave the Mavericks a 25-19 lead.

"We wanted to come out with that sense of urgency, be in attack mode and aggressive," Nowitzki said. "It was good on both ends of the court. We really moved the ball well and made the right adjustments to get a comfortable lead by half."

Dallas led by as many as 16 in the first half and ended any chance of a Portland comeback with another surge to start the third quarter. Jason Terry hit three 3-pointers to spark an 11-2 burst as Dallas extended its lead to 65-42 with 8:20 to play in the third. A bucket by Nowitzki capped an 8-0 run and gave the Mavericks a 73-47 bulge and they cruised thereafter.

"After halftime, we talked about getting a good start to the third quarter," Terry said. "Whatever we had to do, we wanted them to call the first timeout and that's exactly what we did. As far as my shots, Devin (Harris) broke down the defense and saw me spotting up. He found me and I did what I do, shoot the ball."

"He's one of the best shooters in the league and we found him in transition," Nowitzki said of Terry. "He ran right to the line and when he gets his feet set, he can shoot with the best of them. Those shots kind of put (Portland) away."

Nowitzki was 15-of-16 from the line and sparked a balanced attack for Dallas. Terry finished with 19 points, Marquis Daniels 13, Devin Harris 12 and Jerry Stackhouse 11 for the Mavericks, who opened a three-game road trip with the win and play nine of their next 12 away from home.

"We put together a pretty decent game from start to finish," Mavericks coach Avery Johnson said. "We had a few key contributors from Dirk and Devin finding Terry for those big shots to start the third. But again, we have a few things to work on."

It was Johnson who challenged his team and said he was willing to do anything to re-energize them after sputtering in their last few contests.

"I really challenged our team to come up with a big effort for us tonight," added Johnson. We did some good things and We are heading in the right direction. I still don't like our fourth quarter defense."

"He did all the motivating that he needed to do," Terry said of Johnson. "It's just a situation where we know what we are capable of doing. Now it's just a matter of us doing what needs to be done. We got veterans on this team that will step up as far as leadership and make sure we keep this thing going in the right direction."

Zach Randolph scored 29 points and Sebastian Telfair added 12 for Portland.

"I thought our energy level wasn't there," Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "They came out sharp and we didn't respond to their intensity and the energy they brought."

For McMillan, challenging his players seems to be a constant theme.

"I think I need to ask some questions and talk to some guys and see who wants to be here," he added. "You have to have passion in this game. It's the NBA and we're asking for effort."