Trail Blazers Narrowly Beat Mavericks, 114-113

The visiting Portland Trail Blazers took down the Dallas Mavericks, 114-113, at
American Airlines Center on Tuesday. 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 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.