Trail Blazers-Mavericks Preview

By JORDAN GARRETSON
Posted Nov 04 2012 5:55PM

The Dallas Mavericks' new backcourt duo is helping to pick up the slack in Dirk Nowitzki's absence. Meanwhile, the Portland Trail Blazers' point guard may be the most impressive newcomer in the league thus far.

Three of the most promising young guards in the NBA match up when Dallas hosts Portland on Monday night.

The Mavericks are off to a 2-1 start without Nowitzki, who's expected to miss at least 10 games after undergoing arthroscopic knee surgery Oct. 19. They didn't need him in a 126-99 win against Charlotte on Saturday, as the team posted its highest point total since March 10, 2011.

New additions O.J. Mayo and Darren Collison scored 30 and 18, respectively, with Mayo hitting a career-high seven 3-pointers and Collison adding two. Dallas went 16 of 25 from beyond the arc.

The Mavericks' hot long-range shooting helped mask 22 turnovers.

"You make 16 3s, you're not going to lose many games, and it was a bit of a deodorant for some of our other transgressions," said coach Rick Carlisle, who became the third coach to win 200 games with the Mavericks, joining Don Nelson and Dick Motta.

"We look to make strides, mild as they may be, and get better."

Mayo is averaging 18.0 points for the first time since his rookie season while hitting 63.2 percent of his 3-pointers. Collison's averages of 17.3 points and 7.0 assists are career highs.

For the Trail Blazers (2-1), point guard Damian Lillard has gotten off to a fast start. He scored eight of his 20 points in overtime Saturday to lift Portland to a 95-85 victory at Houston.

Lillard joined Oscar Robertson as the second rookie in league history to start his career with three straight games of at least 20 points and seven assists. Grant Hill was the last rookie to score at least 20 in his first three.

Lillard, the No. 6 pick in the draft, has combined with LaMarcus Aldridge to give the Trail Blazers a formidable inside-outside duo. Aldridge had 27 points, 11 rebounds and six assists Saturday and is averaging 22.7 points, 9.7 boards and 3.0 assists in the early going - all career bests.

Aldridge would normally be matched up with Nowitzki, but with the Mavs star out, Dallas' frontcourt will lean more heavily on Chris Kaman. The veteran newcomer made his first eight shots and finished with 16 points in his Mavs debut Saturday after missing two weeks with a strained calf.

"I missed the last four preseason games and the first two (regular-season games), so I'm kind of like a new player out there," Kaman said. "I'm just trying to fit in where I can and do what I can do."

Mayo could spend a lot of time being guarded by Wesley Matthews, who helped limit James Harden to 24 points and 8-of-24 shooting after Harden scored 82 in his first two games.

Dallas reserve guard Rodrigue Beaubois sat out Saturday and could be a game-time decision Monday after injuring his ankle in practice Friday.

The teams have split the last six meetings, with the Mavericks winning two of the last three games in Dallas.

Mayo scores 32 for Mavs in 114-91 win over Blazers

By STEPHEN HAWKINS
Posted Nov 06 2012 12:38AM

DALLAS (AP) O.J. Mayo is feeling right at home with the Dallas Mavericks.

Mayo celebrated his 25th birthday with 32 points, his second consecutive 30-point home game to start the season, and the Mavericks used a fourth-quarter surge to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 114-91 on Monday night.

Chris Kaman and Darren Collison are also fitting in with the Mavericks, who are still without injured star Dirk Nowitzki.

Collison had his second consecutive double-double with 14 points, 13 assists and only one turnover. Kaman scored 16 points on 8-of-10 shooting.

"In the offseason, the Mavericks lost some good players, but we also got some good players. I think some underrated players," Kaman said. "Some guys can really score the basketball on this team and are very creating, starting with Darren and O.J."

Asked about the fast-paced Mavericks offense, which has shot at least 60 percent from the field in consecutive games for the first time in team history, Mayo described it as organized street ball.

"We have spots to fill, but we just continue moving," Mayo said. "It's kind of hard to guard. We don't do something constant or something you can scout. We pretty much ready the defense and work off that."

Mayo made six 3-pointers and capped his night with a running dunk with 1:18 left. After shooting 7 for 22 in his first two Dallas games on the road, he is 22 of 35 at home with 13 3-pointers.

The Trail Blazers, coached by Terry Stotts, a Mavericks assistant the past four seasons under Rick Carlisle, were within 85-83 with 10:17 left.

But Kaman, who was 8-of-9 shooting in his Dallas debut Saturday after missing the first two games with a strained right calf, made a 17-foot jumper. That was the sixth consecutive shot he made Monday, and it started a game-ending 29-8 run.

"Obviously, we didn't do a good enough job defensively. I think Dallas put on a flow clinic in the second half," said Stotts, who was the Mavs' primary offensive coach. "The ball was moving, they were setting good screens. They made their shots, got to the rim."

LaMarcus Aldridge, a Dallas native, and Wesley Matthews had 20 points each for Portland. Nicholas Batum had 14 points, while J.J. Hickson grabbed 11 rebounds.

Rookie point guard Damian Lillard had 13 points and five assists in his fourth NBA game. He had two quick fouls and missed extending some historic achievements.

Lillard had matched Geoff Petrie as the only players in Blazers history to score 20 or more points in his first three games. He had joined Oscar Robertson as the only players in NBA history with at least 20 points and seven assists in his first three career games.

Mayo hit 3-pointers from the right wing and then the left wing in the third quarter. He hit another from long range to put Dallas up 70-67 with 5 1/2 minutes left in the period, breaking the only tie of the second half.

After Sasha Pavlovic beat the shot-clock buzzer with a 3-pointer to get Portland within 75-73, Collison passed to Vince Carter for a 3-pointer. Mayo added another 3 before the end of the third to stretch the lead to 83-77.

Mayo scored seven points in the first 5 minutes of the game and had 12 of the Mavericks' first 22 as they built an early 10-point lead.

"He's one of the hardest workers on this team. He's constantly shooting every day," Collison said. "That 3-point shot is like a mid-range shot to him. ... If he continues to shoot like that, we're all going to have a very good season."

Portland got even at 43 on two free throws by Lillard before Aldridge's three-point play gave the Trail Blazers their first lead, 46-45, with 4:16 left in the first half.

But Lillard shot only 2 of 13, including 1 of 8 on 3-pointers.

"It was a tough night. I got some good looks, didn't make shots," Lillard said. "That's pretty much it. I tried to stick with it. I got some early fouls and that took the rhythm out of it for me."

Notes: Mavericks F Shawn Marion left in the third quarter with a strained knee. It didn't appear that the injury was serious. ... There was a moment of silence before the game in memory of ESPN radio announcer Jim Durham, who died last weekend at his home in Texas. Durham was the Mavericks' television play-by-play man from 1993-2001. ... Another former Mavericks assistant coach brings his team to the American Airlines Center on Wednesday night. Dwane Casey is in his second season as Toronto's head coach.

Notebook: Mavericks 114, Trail Blazers 91

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:47 PM - Updated Mon Nov 05, 2012 11:57 PM

THE FACTS: O.J. Mayo celebrated his 25th birthday Monday with another outstanding shooting performance, fueling the Mavericks' 114-91 victory over the Trail Blazers and souring the homecomings of Dallas native LaMarcus Aldridge and Portland head coach Terry Stotts.

Mayo scored a game- and season-high 32 points and was 6-for-8 from 3-point range, following up his 30-point effort (7-for-10 3-pointers) in Saturday's win against Charlotte. The Mavericks shot 61.5 percent from the field and 50 percent (10-for-20) from behind the arc after shooting 61.3 percent overall and 64.0 percent (16-for-25) from downtown against the Bobcats. Darren Collison had his second straight double-double with 14 points, 13 assists and just one turnover and Chris Kaman added 16 points and six rebounds off the Dallas bench.

Stotts, an assistant coach in Dallas the past four seasons, saw his Trail Blazers fade down the stretch. Aldridge and Wesley Matthews each finished with 20 points, but Portland was outscored 31-12 in the fourth quarter. The Blazers shot 18.2 percent (4-for-22) in the final period, compared to 77.8 percent (14-for-18) by the Mavs. Nicolas Batum added 14 points and J.J. Hickson had a game-high 11 boards.

QUOTABLE: "Dallas put on a flow clinic in the second half. The ball was moving, setting good screens, they made their shots, got to the rim, and the game kind of got away from us in the middle of the fourth quarter." -- Stotts.

THE STAT: So far this year, Mavericks centers Kaman and Brandan Wright are shooting a ridiculous 80.9 percent from the field (38-for-47). Kaman made his first six shots against the Trail Blazers after sinking his first eight in his season debut against Charlotte. Wright (10 points) has scored in double figures for the fourth straight game, the longest streak of his career.

TURNING POINT: Dallas broke it open with a 10-0 run starting at the 10:06 mark of the fourth. With Collison getting a breather, backup Dominique Jones ran the show. He assisted on a 17-footer by Kaman to get things started, then rebounded a missed shot at the other end before Wright hit a runner to make it 89-83. Jones then picked off a pass by Matthews and took it all the way for a layup. He wasn't done yet, assisting on another jumper by Kaman and then capping the spurt with another driving bucket of his own to give Dallas a 95-83 edge with 7:23 left. Jones' final numbers in that stretch: four points, two assists, one rebound and one steal.

QUOTABLE II: "Collison has done a nice job of distributing the ball and the presence of Kaman and Wright have really been opening it up for a shooter like me. I've had the opportunity to line them up and knock them down, so it's going well for me."

-- Mayo, who is shooting 66.7 percent (18-for-27) from 3-point range this season.

HOT: This is the first time since Feb. 2-4, 2009 that Mayo has posted back-to-back 30-point games.

NOT: The Trail Blazers have been outscored in the fourth quarter in all four games.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Fantasy owners need to monitor the condition of Mavericks forward Shawn Marion, who left the game in the second half with a sprained left knee and did not return. There was no immediate word on the extent of the injury. Marion had eight points, seven rebounds, three assists, two blocked shots and one steal.

INSIDE THE ARENA: Before the game, there was a moment of silence at the American Airlines Center for former Mavericks broadcaster Jim Durham. Durham, who passed away Sunday, was the television play-by-play voice for Dallas from 1993-2001. "He'll be remembered as one of the legendary voices of the game," Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle said. Added Mavericks owner Mark Cuban, "He had the golden voice, and there'll be nobody like him."

ROOKIE WATCH: After becoming just the second rookie in league history to start his career with three straight games of 20 points and seven assists, joining Oscar Robertson (1960-61), Portland point guard Damian Lillard experienced an off night in Dallas. He was just 2-for-13 from the field, including 1-for-8 from long distance, and finished with 13 points and five assists.

NOTABLE: Backup point guard Rodrigue Beaubois (sprained left ankle) missed his second straight game for the Mavericks and is day-to-day. ... Last season, the three games between Portland and Dallas were decided by a combined eight points with two going to overtime. ... Dallas raced to a 24-2 advantage in fastbreak points, while Portland posted a whopping 23-2 edge in offensive rebounds and consequently outscored the Mavericks 21-3 in second-chance points.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Wednesday vs. Toronto, Friday @ New York, Saturday @ Charlotte. For the Trail Blazers, Thursday vs. Los Angeles Clippers, Saturday vs. San Antonio, Monday vs. Atlanta.

• Trail Blazers: Claver, Williams
• Mavericks: Beaubois, Nowitzki

• Trail Blazers: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 4
• Times Tied: 4

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #17 Joe Crawford, #35 Kane Fitzgerald, #68 Marat Kogut
• Attendance: 19521
• Duration: 2:05