Mavericks-Trail Blazers Recap

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dirk, Mavs crowned Kings of the Southwest
Dallas Mavericks 83 at Portland Trail Blazers 77 (04/09/10)

Friday night's matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers certainly had the feel of a playoff game. Physicality? Check. Big-game performance by Dirk Nowitzki? Check. 48-minute war? Intense atmosphere? Check and check.

The Blazers had not swept the Mavericks since the 1998-99 season, and Dallas wanted to make sure that did not change. The two squads faced off at the Rose Garden, well aware that if the playoffs began Friday night then they would meet in the opening round. To top off the storylines, the Mavs entered the night with an opportunity to clinch the Southwest Division with a win and a San Antonio Spurs' loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. The Spurs did their part, falling 107-99. Nowitzki and the Mavs handled the rest.

Thanks to a 40-point, 10-rebound night from Nowitzki, the Mavericks overcame a 34-percent shooting effort en route to an 83-77 victory. The win not only avoided a season sweep at the hands of the Blazers, it also gave the Mavs just the third division title in franchise history.

"It was a tough, physical game," Nowitzki said after the win. "Both teams didn't give up a lot."

"We were just real active tonight...It was a great basketball game. It was just pure effort by both sides, and the difference was a couple plays here and there. We're happy to get out of here with a win. Portland is a good team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle added.

Starting a three-game road trip and playing a second straight game without forward Shawn Marion (left oblique strain), the Mavericks found themselves missing their best perimeter defender early. But also for the second consecutive game, the Mavs went to an assertive Caron Butler on the offensive end at the onset. The opening quarter certainly had a playoff-like feel, including heated tempers and a scrum between Dallas' Eduardo Najera and former Mav Juwan Howard, who was assessed a technical foul in addition to the offensive foul he picked up for plowing through Najera on the play. Dallas then relied on team defense, taking a 23-18 edge at the end of one.

"The last time we played here, they were just way more physical and they were way more ready," Nowitzki said. "They were more physical, they got every loose ball, and we talked about that -- about how we had to be ready from the jump. And I think we did a better job staying with them today and playing a more physical game. It was great."

Both teams struggled to score in the first quarter, with Dallas shooting 6-of-17 from the floor compared to Portland's 8-for-21. Portland did not score the final 4:03 of the period.

The Blazers continued to let the physically get to them, with Rudy Fernandez drawing a technical in the first minute of the second stanza. Meanwhile, the Mavericks allowed the Blazers to stay in the game, as Dallas missed on its first five shots in the quarter. But Jason Terry's play at both ends and Nowitzki's patented offensive array ignited a Dallas spurt. Nowitzki also passed 21, 000 points for his career in the quarter on a vintage jumper. With the sharpshooter locked and loaded, while Brendan Haywood dominated the interior, the Mavs slowly built up a double-digit lead. That is until seven unanswered Portland points cut the Mavs' advantage to 42-39 entering the half.

The cold shooting continued through the first 24 minutes of play, with the Blazers out-shooting the Mavs 38 percent to 31 percent. Dallas did connect on 18-of-21 at the foul line to take the lead at the midway point. Nowitzki led all scorers with 17 first-half points, while LaMarcus Aldridge's 15 kept Portland close.

Wisely the Mavericks continued to call Nowitzki's number at the beginning of the third, and No. 41 did not disappoint. But fellow All-Star, Brandon Roy, came out of the intermission with a sense of aggression. The combination of Roy and Aldridge sparked a 10-2 Blazers' run to go in front. Portland then emerged with a 59-58 edge heading into the final quarter.

The two teams once again picked up the defensive intensity to begin the fourth. But exchanges by Terry and Fernandez from behind the 3-point arch sparked both teams offensively as well. Then, with Nowitzki and Butler resting on the sidelines, Najera's triple with 6:12 remaining put Dallas back ahead, 67-65. When Butler and Nowitzki returned, the two picked up right where they left off. Portland was then issued its third technical of the night, as Andre Miller's argument with officiating resulted in a point for Dallas with 4:16 remaining.

Dallas' trapping defense not only forced a Roy turnover, it also caused Blazers coach Nate McMillan to earn a technical at the 3:45-mark.

"This time of the year, you're going to see this style of basketball," McMillan would say later. "We talked about that, expect it where it's going to be a physical game, a grind-game. Every possession is important."

Then Nowitzki sunk a dagger, swishing in a three with 2:43 left to put Dallas up 77-68. But Aldridge's transition three-point play with 1:35 on the clock kept the Blazers close. Nowitzki came right back with a jumper just 25 ticks later, keeping the Mavs up six. Four missed 3-pointers in the final minute by the Blazers secured the Dallas win and handed the Mavs the division crown.

"You play a game in the 70s, and you're looking at a playoff-type game. I love the way we battled. I love the way both teams battled. We really wanted this game tonight and you can tell," Carlisle said when summing up the night.

Nowitzki hit the 40-point plateau while recording his 19th double-double of the season. The nine-time All-Star also nailed 11-of-24 from the floor and a perfect 17-for-17 at the foul line.

"Dirk’s our guy," the coach explained. "We play through him. He's going to make good things happen for us. I thought the key tonight was that we had a lot of other guys step up at critical times."

Butler added 18 points, while Terry finished with 12 off the bench. Though Jason Kidd shot just 1-for-8 on the night, the veteran point guard snatched a team-best 12 rebounds to go along with his six assists.

Aldridge led the Blazers with 27 points, shooting 9-of-20 for the night. But the Mavericks did hold Roy to just 13 points on 4-of-14 from the field.

"Roy is a great player and a lot of times you have to commit two (defenders) to him. When we did, we scrambled, and there were several sequences where there were multiple players on the floor tonight for both teams," Carlisle said.

The Blazers didn't shoot much better than Dallas, connecting on only 36 percent of their shots. The two teams played to a virtual stalemate on the glass, with Portland claiming a 45-43 rebounding edge. Dallas also overcame a 36-18 disadvantage in points in the paint.

"They are obviously not a team you want to see in the playoffs, but if you look at all the teams down there, all the teams are playing well," Nowitzki said about the Blazers and Mavs meeting in the postseason. "It's going to be tough no matter who you see. But it's good for us to get a win against them and we'll see what happens in the playoffs."

The Mavs now journeys down the West Coast for the final two matchups of the road trip. Playing on the second night of the final back-to-back of the season, the Mavericks head into Sacramento to play the Kings on Saturday night. Dallas will be looking for the sweep, leading the season series 3-0. The Mavericks-Kings matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 9 p.m. CT.

Dallas concludes the road trip against the Los Angeles Clippers at the Staples Center on Monday night. The Mavs can also sweep that season series, after winning the first two games against the Clippers. That game will air locally on KTXA and KTXA HD and nationally on NBA TV at 9:30 p.m. CT.

The team returns to the American Airlines Center for the final regular season game against the San Antonio Spurs on April 14. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.