Sports / Basketball |
Mavs continue torrid pace, beat Blazers(AP)Updated: 2007-01-11 12:54 DALLAS - Jason Terry scored 20 points and Josh Howard added 17 as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 99-74 on Wednesday night. Devin Harris had 14 points and Erick Dampier added 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who have won 15 of their last 16. Reserve Austin Croshere had 13 points for the Mavericks, who extended their winning streak against the Blazers to 12 games, matching the longest in the series. Mavericks top scorer and rebounder Dirk Nowitzki, who had a season-high 38 points against Utah on Tuesday night, played only 25 minutes and finished with 11 points. He took only six shots and sat out the fourth quarter. Zach Randolph scored 21 points and rookie Brandon Roy added 15 for the Trail Blazers, who were held to their lowest points total this season and lost for the seventh time in eight games. Rookie LaMarcus Aldridge, who played high school basketball in the Dallas suburb of Seagoville and starred at the University of Texas, added 14 points for Portland. Both teams were playing their second game in a 24-hour span. The Mavericks were 108-105 winners in Utah on Tuesday night and improved to 9-0 in the second game of back-to-back situations. Portland lost at San Antonio 98-84 on Tuesday night and fell to 4-6 in the second game of back-to-backs. Terry, who had 12 first-half points, led a decisive 14-0 second-quarter run with a 3-pointer and a three-point play as the Mavericks expanded their lead to 44-28 with 3:28 left until halftime. The game was tied at 22 after the first quarter, but Dallas held a 47-34 advantage at the break with the help of 5-for-17 second-quarter shooting by the Blazers. Portland pulled within 55-43 early in the third quarter, but Howard connected on consecutive 3-pointers to push Dallas' lead to 61-43. Howard had 12 points in the third quarter as the Mavericks built a 72-53 edge heading into the final quarter. |
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