The visiting Portland Trail Blazers took down the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday, 114-113.
Portland (23-30) had a startlingly strong performance on the boards after struggling with rebounding all season. The Blazers held a 55-30 advantage on the glass, including 18 boards on the offensive end . Portland was bolstered by strong play from the backcourt tandem of Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum as well, as the duo combined for 61 points on the night. Almost everything seemed to be going right for the Blazers, though a few key mistakes kept the game close until the final seconds. The Blazers struggled throughout the night with turnovers and fouls, allowing Dallas to reach the charity stripe 32 times and giving up 15 free possessions on turnovers.
Dallas (20-32) has now hit a two-game speed bump after winning six of its previous seven heading into the week. The team turned out much stronger play on Tuesday than in Monday’s blowout loss to Denver, but still came up empty-handed. Three Mavericks scored at least 23 points on Tuesday, with forward Harrison Barnes delivering a team-high 26. Veteran Dirk Nowitzki, meanwhile, had a vintage outing as he scored 25 points on the night. Perhaps the biggest story for Dallas, though, was the continuation of D-League call-up Yogi Ferrell’s success. The rookie saw another 35 minutes of play and delivered 12 points on respectable shooting.
Dallas will host the Jazz on Thursday, while Portland will host the Celtics.
