Trail Blazers-Mavericks Preview

By MATT BECKER
Posted Feb 05 2013 6:32PM

LaMarcus Aldridge came up big down the stretch in carrying the Portland Trail Blazers to victory in their last game.

That probably doesn't come as much of a surprise to the Dallas Mavericks.

A week after his buzzer beater buried the Mavericks, Aldridge will again look to frustrate one of his favorite opponents when the Trail Blazers visit Dallas on Wednesday night.

Portland (25-23) seemed well on its way to winning the opener of a six-game road trip Monday in Minnesota, leading by 19 points at the start of the fourth quarter. The Trail Blazers, though, began to fall apart and the Timberwolves pulled within one with 36.9 seconds left.

Aldridge then took over, swishing a 21-footer and blocking a jump shot with 7.9 seconds remaining as Portland hung on for a 100-98 win, its fifth in seven games.

"Teams are going to pressure us, so I think it's learning," coach Terry Stotts said. "But winning on the road is not easy and we needed this one."

Aldridge finished with 25 points on 12-of-17 shooting and grabbed 13 rebounds, and he could be poised for another big game.

Aldridge hit a game-tying 3-pointer - the first one he made on 10 attempts this season - with 4.9 seconds left and then made a turnaround jumper with 0.2 seconds remaining to help the Blazers come back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit in a 106-104 home win over Dallas last Tuesday.

"We cannot let Aldridge get set on the block 10 feet from the basket and let him turn around and shoot a wide-open shot," Dirk Nowitzki said after that defeat.

The problem for Dallas, however, is it has routinely been letting Aldridge, who finished with 29 points, find his rhythm. In eight games against the Mavericks since 2010-11, Aldridge is averaging 27.3 points - his best versus any Western Conference team.

Despite his success, the Blazers are 4-4 in those games, and they've lost four of five at the American Airlines Center.

The Mavericks (20-28) are returning to Dallas, where they've averaged 108.8 points in winning four of six, for a five-game homestand after a 112-91 loss to Oklahoma City on Monday capped a 1-3 trip. Shawn Marion was the lone bright spot for Dallas, which trailed by as much as 33 points in the fourth quarter, as he shot 10 of 14 for 23 points.

Nowitzki was 3 of 11 and scored 10 after missing the previous two games with a right adductor strain, and he felt most of his team's problems stemmed from 14 turnovers leading to 23 points for the Thunder. Dallas is 6-20 when committing 14 or more turnovers compared to 14-8 when it has 13 or less.

"That always gets us in trouble when we turn the ball over. We're usually not very good when we can't go back and set our defense up. That really, for us, is a recipe for disaster," Nowitzki said.

The Trail Blazers were significantly worse protecting the ball Monday.

Wes Matthews and Damian Lillard each had five of Portland's 28 turnovers, the most in regulation by any team all season. Nicolas Batum had a team-high seven turnovers and is clearly still being bothered by a sore right wrist.

Batum is averaging 7.8 points in his last five games - 7.9 fewer than his season average.

"If he or the trainer says he can't play, then I can't play him, but he's very important to what we do," Stotts said.

Mayo, Mavs beat Blazers for Carlisle's 500th win

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Posted Feb 07 2013 12:20AM

DALLAS (AP) O.J. Mayo was at the center of a play that cost Dallas a game in Portland last week.

He made up for it Wednesday night against the Trail Blazers in a yet another game the Mavericks really needed.

Mayo scored 28 points, Vince Carter hit a big jumper in the final minute and the Mavericks beat the Blazers 105-99 for coach Rick Carlisle's 500th career victory.

Eight nights earlier, Mayo was called for a charge with 1.5 seconds left in a tie game, giving Portland a chance to win. LaMarcus Aldridge hit a jumper at the buzzer, and it wasn't much consolation to the Mavericks when the NBA said the next day that the call should have been a block and Mayo should have been shooting free throws for the lead.

The loss started a 1-3 road trip with the Mavericks struggling to get into playoff contention and keep alive a 12-year postseason streak, meaning the rematch in Dallas was even more important.

"It's an opportunity for us to gain ground in the standings before the All-Star break," Mayo said. "It's a game we needed to win. We remember what happened last week in Portland."

Mayo had 20 in the first half and was mostly quiet before getting two important baskets with Portland trying to rally late in the fourth quarter. Carter put Dallas ahead 99-94 with 26 seconds left on a jumper just inside the 3-point line with the shot clock winding down.

Aldridge had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who had just 38 points in the second half and fell to 1-1 on a six-game road trip.

"I think we definitely had a chance to win tonight," Aldridge said. "I thought we had a tough stretch tonight when they had us down by one and then we had turnover after turnover. We still have to do better."

With Aldridge watching in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks went on a 10-2 run for a 93-86 lead and scored again when Aldridge returned on a dunk by Mayo to go up nine before Aldridge helped Portland get close.

Aldridge had a pair of baskets, and Damian Lillard hit two free throws to pull Portland within 97-94. Wesley Matthews had a chance to tie the score, but his 3-pointer rimmed out with 50 seconds left.

Carter, who finished with 17 points, hit his big shot on the other end. He missed his first game of the season Monday night in Oklahoma City because of illness, and the Mavericks weren't competitive without him.

"There's a reason he's such an important guy to us," Carlisle said. "All year long, he's been one of our facilitators. He came up with a couple of big ones for us when the shot clock was down."

Matthews scored 21 points, while J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. Lillard finished with 19 after scoring 15 in the first half.

Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points and eight rebounds for Dallas, with Shawn Marion adding 13 points and 10 boards.

Portland coach Terry Stotts, who was an assistant under Carlisle the previous four years, sneaked across the midcourt line to shake hands with his old boss before the game ended, and Mayo said players gave their coach a standing ovation in the locker room after the game.

Carlisle is the 28th coach to 500 wins and is among five active coaches with at least that many. The others are Denver's George Karl, Minnesota's Rick Adelman, San Antonio's Gregg Popovich and Boston's Doc Rivers. Carlisle's career record is 500-353.

"It's meaningful, but I'm not into that kind of stuff," Carlisle said. "I'm into the day-to-day stuff."

The Mavericks took their first lead on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki early in the third quarter, starting an eight-minute stretch that included six ties, four lead changes and neither team going ahead by more than two.

Portland went back up by eight on a 10-0 run that included eight from Aldridge, who had 14 of Portland's 21 points in the third and scored 10 straight carrying over into the fourth. The Mavericks pulled back within two at 82-80 on a 3-pointer by Carter with 1.9 seconds left in the quarter.

Defense was mostly nonexistent in a first half that ended with Portland leading 61-57.

Mayo's 20 first-half points included a 3-pointer and three-point play on a fast-break layup during a 12-0 run that tied the score at 43-all midway through the second quarter. Mayo was 8 of 9 from the field in the first half.

Lillard and Matthews combined for seven 3-pointers in the first 15 minutes, the last coming from Lillard for a 43-31 Blazers lead with 9:19 left in the first half. Lillard and Matthews were 7 of 11 combined from long range in the first half.

NOTES: Portland committed 28 turnovers in a win at Minnesota on Monday night. It was the most in regulation in the NBA this season. It was the first time the Blazers have won with that many turnovers since committing 28 in a victory at Miami on Dec. 5, 1989. ... The Mavericks had 22 assists for their 16th straight game with at least 20, the longest active streak in the NBA. ... Lillard scored the Blazers' last 12 points in the first quarter. ... Mavericks C Chris Kaman missed his fifth straight game with a concussion.

Notebook: Mavericks 105, Trail Blazers 99

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:46 PM - Updated Wed Feb 06, 2013 11:46 PM

THE FACTS: The Dallas Mavericks helped coach Rick Carlisle clinch his 500th career win by doing what he preaches every day: finishing strong and playing great defense. O.J. Mayo scored 28 points to lead Dallas to a 105-99 victory Wednesday against the visiting Portland Trail Blazers, who were held to 38 points in the second half after pouring in 61 in the first half.

Vince Carter added 17 points off the bench, Dirk Nowitzki scored 16 and Shawn Marion posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks (21-28). Carlisle became the 28th coach to reach that milestone. He is 500-353 (.586) overall and 219-142 (.607) since joining Dallas in 2008 after two seasons in Detroit (2001-03) and four in Indiana (2004-07).

Dallas native LaMarcus Aldridge paced Portland (25-24) with 27 points and 10 rebounds. Wesley Matthews scored 21 points, rookie Damian Lillard added 19 and J.J. Hickson contributed 14 points and 10 boards. The Trail Blazers, who led by as many as 12 in the first half, have lost five of their last six visits to the American Airlines Center.

QUOTABLE: "It means I've been around a long time. I'm getting old. But it means I've had a lot of good players. It's meaningful, but I'm not into those kinds of things. I'm into the day-to-day stuff. One relief I have is I think after tomorrow I won't have to hear about it again for a while, so that's good."
-- Rick Carlisle on his 500th win

THE STAT: After starting 8-for-11 from 3-point range, the Trail Blazers went 2-for-19 the rest of the game. That shooting slump included a miss by Matthews that could have tied the game at 97-97 with 51 seconds remaining.

TURNING POINT: After Aldridge went off for 14 points in the third quarter, Mavericks forward Elton Brand played physical, inspired defense to help limit the All-Star to four points in the fourth. Three-pointers by Rodrigue Beaubois, Carter and Marion gave Dallas the lead for good.

QUOTABLE II: "Both teams made [second half] adjustments. I thought they were more aggressive picking up our point guards and trying to disrupt the backcourt."
-- Portland coach Terry Stotts

HOT: Mayo scored 20 points on 8-for-9 shooting (3-for-4 from 3-point range) in the first half, the third time in his career he has scored 20-plus before halftime.

NOT: Clinging to an 82-80 lead to start the fourth quarter, Portland picked a bad time to go stone cold. The Blazers missed 11 of their first 12 shots and finished 6-for-20 (30.0 percent) in the quarter. They fell to 17-2 when leading after three quarters, while the Mavs improved to 4-22 when trailing after three.

GOOD MOVE: After missing Monday's loss at Oklahoma City due to an illness, a healthy Carter made sick two-handed reverse slam dunk with 55.9 seconds left in the first half. Pretty impressive for a 15-year veteran who turned 36 last month.

FANTASY SPOTLIGHT: Playing through a right wrist injury, Portland forward Nicolas Batum failed to reach double figures for the fourth time in his last six games. He continues to provide value in other areas, finishing with nine points, six rebounds, six assists and one steal.

ROOKIE WATCH: Lillard was a combined 5-for-24 in the first two meetings against Dallas, but started strong in this one. He scored the Blazers' final 12 points of the first quarter. ... Mavericks rookie center Bernard James turns 28 Thursday. Miami's LeBron James, who is playing in his 10th NBA season, is also 28.

NOTABLE: The Mavericks began a stretch in which they play five straight and seven of their next eight at home, while the Blazers played the second of six straight road games. ... Chris Kaman (concussion) did not play for Dallas. Sasha Pavlovic (left foot), Ronnie Price (right ankle) and Eliot Williams (left Achilles) were not available for Portland. ... Sixteen of the last 18 meetings have been decided by 10 or fewer points. ... After committing a season-high 28 turnovers in Monday's win at Minnesota, Portland had only six against Dallas. ... Nowitzki needs seven free throws to pass Wilt Chamberlain (6,057) for 15th place in NBA history.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Saturday vs. Golden State, Monday vs. Atlanta, Wednesday vs. Sacramento. For the Trail Blazers, Friday @ Houston, Sunday @ Orlando, Tuesday @ Miami.

• Trail Blazers: Price, Williams
• Mavericks: Cunningham, Kaman

• Trail Blazers: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 7
• Times Tied: 9

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #19 James Capers, #11 Derrick Collins, #50 Olandis Poole
• Attendance: 19746
• Duration: 2:14