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 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.
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"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.
NOTES: A female fan suffered a medical emergency near the end of the
third quarter, stopping play briefly. She was administered to by
medics and transported to nearby Emanual Hospital. ... The 21-point
margin was Portland's largest against Dallas since a 132-106 rout in
March 2002. ... The Blazers' reserves outscored their Mavericks
counterparts 52-35, shooting 16 for 28 from the field and 7 for 12
from 3-point range. C Chris Kaman had 12 points on 6-for-6 shooting
to go with five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench. ... Portland F
LaMarcus Aldridge notched his 11,000th career point in the first
quarter. He ranks third on the Blazers' career scoring list behind
Clyde Drexler (18,040) and Terry Porter (11,330).
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