Portland Trail Blazers vs. Dallas Mavericks: Postgame Grades and Analysis
The Dallas Mavericks overcame a 16-point fourth-quarter deficit on the way to a 111-101 win over the Portland Trail Blazers at the American Airlines Center on Saturday.
Three-point shooting, particularly down the stretch, was the big difference. Portland was 10-of-32 from downtown, while the Mavericks were 14-of-36.
Three crucial makes in the final two minutes of regulation from Devin Harris, Chandler Parsons and Dirk Nowitzki helped the Mavericks erase the arrears.
The clutch shooting will certainly help those Mavericks earn higher marks from this evaluation.
Dallas Mavericks
Dirk Nowitzki: B+
Offensively, Nowitzki was masterful. He looked like his old self on several jump shots and made the Blazers look foolish for switching screens and defending some of his looks with guards.
The patented one-legged fadeaway and a game-tying three with 20 seconds left were part of an 11-of-19 shooting performance that led to a team-high 25 points.
Nowitzki narrowly misses the A because of his defense and rebounding, though. LaMarcus Aldridge is a tough matchup for anyone, but Nowitzki didn't bother him at all for stretches. And he only grabbed three boards over the course of the game.
Monta Ellis really struggled against the defense of Wesley Matthews, shooting just 9-of-25 from the field and 2-of-7 from three-point range.
He did hit some big shots late, though, and dished out six assists to go with his 20 points. He found a way to have a positive impact on the game despite not being able to connect on most of his shots.
The battle inside was critical, and Tyson Chandler more than did his part around the rim, particularly on the offensive end.
He scored 11 points and grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds, including nine offensive boards. All those extra possessions helped the Mavericks outscore the Blazers 26-11 in second-chance points.
Chandler Parsons: A
Parsons was well on his way to a below average game before going off in overtime. He scored 10 of his 20 points in the extra frame and shot 3-of-3 from the field. He also grabbed three boards and dished out an assist.
The entire Blazers team scored just five points in the overtime.
For the game, Parsons was 7-of-16 from the field, grabbed nine boards, had three assists and swiped three steals.
Rest of Team: C+
Starting point guard J.J. Barea was just 2-of-11 from the field and had four turnovers but did lead the Mavericks in assists with seven. His backup, Devin Harris, scored 16 off the bench but shot just 5-of-15 from the field.
The rest of the reserves combined to shoot 4-of-11 for 12 points. That's certainly nothing too exciting, but Al-Farouq Aminu was at least able to provide some energy on defense and on the boards.
Portland Trail Blazers
LaMarcus Aldridge: A
It sure looked like Aldridge had done enough to carry his Blazers to a win in regulation, as he scored 25 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, but even he couldn't hold off the late rally.
Portland had a couple of chances at rebounds that would've taken it closer to the victory during Dallas's final stretch, but Aldridge wasn't able to secure them.
That's obviously not all on Aldridge, but the defensive possession is never over until you grab the board.
Damian Lillard: B-
During the first half, it looked like Damian Lillard was ready to bust out of his horrific shooting slump. After not making a three for 16 quarters, he hit his first four against Dallas. Then he missed his next six.
He wound up scoring a game-high 26 points but shot just 7-of-19 from the field.
His seven rebounds and seven assists helped round out his box score and make up for his shooting struggles, though.
Wesley Matthews: B+
Wesley Matthews played a very solid game, scoring 17 points on 7-of-14 shooting, grabbing eight boards and making three steals.
Perhaps most important was his work at the other end. Matthews' defense made things very difficult for Ellis on every possession, as he used his size to bother him all over the floor.
Nicolas Batum: D+
As far as scoring goes, Nicolas Batum had a dreadful game. He scored just two points and went 0-of-8 from the field, including 0-of-5 from three-point line.
On the bright side, he was solid in the other facets of the game. He picked up 10 boards and handed out four assists. His defense on Chandler was good throughout regulation too.
Robin Lopez: C+
As is the case in just about every game he plays, Robin Lopez did a lot of the dirty work that can go unnoticed.
His box-score contributions weren't bad either. He scored 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, grabbed eight rebounds and blocked a shot.
The problem was that he didn't do enough to slow down Chandler or Nowitzki inside.
Rest of Team: C-
Portland's bench continues to be a bit of an issue. The reserves combined to go 7-of-18 from the field for 20 points. On a night when the Mavericks' bench was off, they still outscored the Blazers' backups by eight.
Steve Blake was at least able to create a few plays on the second unit, as he dished out seven assists. And Chris Kaman grabbed five boards.
Both will have to be better for Portland to win a seven-game series in the playoffs, though.
Coming Up Next
The Mavericks' next game will be at home on Monday, against the Los Angeles Clippers at 8:30 p.m. ET. Dallas will have to be excellent defensively to slow down the league's top-ranked offense.
The Blazers, meanwhile, will go on the road to play the Houston Rockets on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET. Matthews will have his hands full again, as he'll be matched up against MVP candidate James Harden.
Andy Bailey covers the NBA for Bleacher Report. Follow him @AndrewDBailey.
