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 The NBA's sixth all-time leading scorer racked up a historic 40
points to carry the Dallas Mavericks past the Portland Trail Blazers
132-120 in overtime Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center.
The Mavericks (35-35) also snapped a five-game home losing streak
and clinched the season series against Portland (36-35).
The head-to-head matchup could come into play with the Mavs and
Blazers battling for position at the bottom of the Western
Conference playoff standings. Portland is currently sixth, with
Dallas and Houston (35-35) a half-game back.
"We're still in the same position where we're fighting for our
playoff lives," Nowitzki said after his 20th career 40-point game.
"Our goal before the season was to make it into the playoffs. We're
still fighting for it.
"We have a beast of a schedule coming up these last few weeks and we
need every single game. This is a huge win for us against a team
that's right there with us battling."
The Blazers and Mavericks meet again Wednesday in Portland. Both
teams are off until then.
 Nowitzki reached 40 for the first time since Jan. 11, 2024, and
drilled a 3-pointer to cap an 11-0 run to open the extra session.
The 37-year-old former MVP hit 16-of-26 shots, including 3-5 from
deep, grabbed eight rebounds and dished out four assists in 39
minutes.
Nowitzki became only the fourth player in NBA history to score at
least 40 at age 37 or older. The others are Michael Jordan, Kareem
Abdul-Jabbar and Karl Malone.
"Never underestimate greatness at any age; that's what I always say
about guys like him," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of Nowitzki.
"It's not like he's just an older guy who happened to have a good
game. He's been doing this on a somewhat consistent basis all year
coming up with a monster game.
"We certainly needed it. His shot making in the overtime was huge,
giving us a big enough cushion. We've all got to enjoy whatever time
we have left to watch him, whatever number of years it is because
it'll go by quickly. You won't see another one like this ever."
Point guard Deron Williams added season highs in points (31) and
assists (16) for the Mavs, who were without Chandler Parsons. Wesley
Matthews shook off an early turned ankle to score 15 on five
3-pointers.
Dallas also received an unexpected contribution from backup center
Salah Mejri. In a game where Zaza Pachulia returned to the starting
lineup, the little-used reserve set a season high with 14 rebounds,
scored 13 and blocked six shots.
The Blazers received 20-point performances from Damian Lillard (26),
C.J. McCollum (22) and Allen Crabbe (24) off the bench. Lillard tied
the game at 113-all with a driving bank with 29.7 seconds left in
regulation and had a 3-point try at the buzzer that didn't fall.
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"We did a nice job of getting ourselves back in the position to tie
it up," Portland coach Terry Stotts said. "When (Lillard) had the
ball we wanted to get a good shot and make sure it was the last
shot."
The Mavericks needed to withstand Portland's long-range barrage to
open the fourth quarter. The Blazers went on a 17-6 run to take a
99-96 lead, with Crabbe and Al-Farouq Aminu each knocking down a
pair of 3-pointers.
Portland would knock down 18 from beyond the arc for the game.
Crabbe had six 3-pointers, with Lillard and Aminu both notching
four. McCollum had three from downtown.
Blazers center Mason Plumlee posted his 14th double-double of the
season with 14 points and a career-high 19 rebounds in 32 minutes.
But the day belonged to Nowitzki. Stotts, a former Dallas assistant,
wasn't surprised by the 40-point outburst.
"Guarding Dirk in a pick-and-roll is difficult and it always has
been," Stotts said. "I know what a competitor he is, and I know that
he is someone who has these types of games, so what he did tonight
I've seen it a few times."
The Blazers have lost seven of their last 10 games. The Mavs won for
only the second time in nine games.
Dallas' home skid was the longest since 1999-2000, the same season
Mark Cuban bought the franchise. The Mavs last won on their court on
March 1.
NOTES: The Mavericks were without SF Chandler Parsons, who was
dealing with right hamstring soreness. C Zaza Pachulia returned to
the starting lineup with Parsons' absence. ... Mavs coach Rick
Carlisle isn't shocked by the job Stotts has done this season. "I
know how great a coach Terry is, so I'm not surprised," Carlisle
said. "I think he's the frontrunner for Coach of the Year because of
how they've progressed." ... Blazers SF Al-Farouq Aminu returned to
Dallas for the first time since playing with the Mavericks last
season. ... Portland hasn't won a season series against Dallas since
2009-10. ... Carlisle now has 654 career wins, tying him for 20th in
league history with the late Flip Saunders.
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