The Mavericks showcased some shutdown defense all game long, while Jason Terry (31) displayed his fourth quarter heroics once again to lead the Mavericks to a close win over Portland. (AP Photo/LM Otero)In a game where baskets were difficult to come by, Jason Terry provided just enough spark in the fourth quarter to give the Dallas Mavericks (26-8) their second straight victory. Terry scored seven of the Mavs' final nine points of the contest to put away the game.
"The fourth quarter is [Terry's] show," Tyson Chandler said. "He's done it over and over. He's so clutch, so much fun to watch."
Terry scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, and a stingy Dallas' defense held the Portland Trail Blazers (18-17) to just 81 points on 42 percent shooting.
"That's one thing we can do is get better defensively," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We battled and played a gritty game. That's what we have to do."
Chandler, who scored 14 points and grabbed 13 rebounds for his second straight double double, controlled the paint all game long on both ends of the floor. The Mavericks' center's presence on the defensive end was considerable and he altered shots all game long, this despite finishing with just one block. There was also a considerable amount of second-chance opportunities on offense thanks to Chandler's season-high six offensive rebounds.
LaMarcus Aldridge continued his dominant play against the Mavericks, especially in crunch time scoring 11 of his team's 21 fourth quarter points. He finished with a game-high 28 points and was the Blazers only consistent scorer.
"[The Mavericks] made big shots, we missed big shots," Portland coach Nate McMillan said. "They got big boards, we gave up big boards. When it's winning time, you have to make those plays."
This is the first time since Dirk Nowitzki went down with a knee bruise that Dallas has gotten the chance to play against and above-average team, and this team responded to the challenge.
What's Next:
Dallas gets a day of rest before returning the their home floor Thursday night to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder. OKC is 23-13 on the season (10-7 on the road), and is visiting Dallas for the first and only time this season. The fifth-seeded team in the Western Conference fell to the Mavericks 103-93 on Dec. 27, as Dallas battled back in the fourth quarter after Nowitzki went down in the first half to take the second meeting between the two teams this season. Dallas won the first meeting of the season on Nov. 24, behind 34 points from Nowitzki and 18 rebounds from Chandler, in another contest where the Mavs took over in the final frame.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. central time, can be seen nationally on TNT, and I'll be there to be your eyes and ears behind the scenes so I can give you the full story after the game.
News and Notes:
- Dirk Nowitzki watched from the sidelines for the fifth straight game due to a bruised knee and Dallas won just it's second contest with Nowitzki on the shelf.
- While he has been filling up the stat sheet on a regular basis, Jason Kidd's jump shot has been erratic to say the least. In five games since Nowitzki went down to injury, Kidd is making a measly 30 percent of his shots from the field.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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