PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) – Damian Lillard had 36 points and 10 assists and the Portland Trail Blazers snapped a five-game losing streak with a 136-119 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.
Jusuf Nurkic added 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Blazers, who meet the Mavericks again on Sunday night.
Spencer Dinwiddie led Dallas with 25 points. Luka Doncic was held to a season-low 15 points before Mavericks coach Jason Kidd pulled him with seven minutes left.
Portland led by as many as 20 points at the beginning of the second half and entered the fourth quarter with a 106-90 lead. Nurkic’s dunk gave the Blazers a 116-94 lead at the 9:59 mark.
Doncic and Lillard had a heated exchange before Lillard scored to give the Blazers a 122-102 lead. Tim Hardaway Jr. he left the field a little early and limped to the locker room with what appeared to be an injury to his left ankle.
Lillard started but was listed as questionable after rolling his ankle early in Portland’s 119-113 loss to the Cavaliers on Thursday. Lillard went out and scored 11 points in the first quarter against the Mavs.
Dallas was coming off a 119-115 double overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers on Thursday. The victory broke the gap after two defeats.
Christian Wood was ruled out before the game due to pain in his right ankle. Wood played 48 minutes against the Lakers, with 24 points and 14 rebounds.
Portland led 31-30 after the first period. The Mavericks kept him close by making eight of 13 three-point attempts.
Taking advantage while Dončić rested in the second quarter, Shaedon Sharpe’s three-pointer and Nurkić’s layup and free throw gave Portland a 47-36 lead.
Lillard’s 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 65-49 lead and they led 71-56 at halftime. Lillard finished the half with 24 points, and Dončić with five.
TYPE INS
Mavericks: Kidd was asked if he would skip playing college ball considering the G League, like Mavs guard Jaden Hardy, he joked, “I would have left in 8th grade.” … Dwight Powell got into foul trouble early, collecting his fourth with 2:48 left in the first half.
Trail Blazers: Portland lost the first two games of a series against the Mavericks this season, both in Dallas. Dončić averaged 37.5 points against the Blazers.
FOLLOWING:
The Trail Blazers and Mavericks meet again on Sunday night, completing a four-game series between the teams this season. “One stop shop here in Portland,” Kidd said. “We are here for two games and then we don’t see them anymore. We’re done with them after tomorrow.”
___
More AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
