Doncic’s 21 points lead Mavs past Trail Blazers 111-102

DALLAS (AP) – Luka Doncic scored 21 points and Wesley Matthews added 17 as the Dallas Mavericks won for the ninth time in 11 games, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 111-102 Tuesday night.

DeAndre Jordan added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Dallas, which won its eighth straight at home for the first time since its championship season of 2010-11.

Doncic, who missed his first game Sunday with a right hip strain, scored 14 in the second half and finished with nine rebounds.

Damian Lillard scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half as Portland tried, but failed, to rally from a deficit that was mostly double digits through almost all the first three quarters. Lillard and C.J. McCollum struggled from the field, going 17 for 42, and 4 for 15 from 3-point range.

The Mavericks closed out the first quarter with a 17-3 run and held a double-digit lead until Lillard’s drive and free throw made it 78-69 late in the third.

But Dwight Powell hit consecutive 3-pointers and Maxi Kleber followed a Devin Harris miss with a dunk to put Dallas up by 14 after three quarters.

J.J. Barea’s driving layup capped a 10-0 run that gave the Mavericks their biggest lead at 92-73. Portland got as close as six points in the game’s final minutes, but Doncic hit a fall-away 3-pointer with 58.9 seconds to go for a 108-99 lead.

The teams are going in opposite directions in the competitive Western Conference. While Dallas has heated up, Portland has lost eight of its last 11.

Matthews and Harris made 3s and Jordan and Dennis Smith Jr. converted three-point plays during the big first-quarter run. The 34-20 deficit was Portland’s largest after one quarter this season. Dallas maintained the double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and took a 60-45 lead into halftime.

TIP INS

Trail Blazers: Lillard scored the Blazers’ final 15 points of the third quarter. . Portland’s frustration became evident in the third quarter when Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless were given technical fouls 35 seconds apart for arguing with referee Ed Malloy.

Mavericks: Smith had a root canal performed Monday to fix a broken tooth suffered Sunday night after the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley caught him with an elbow. Smith used an Invisalign device to hold the tooth in place when he returned to the game Sunday. . Barea needed four stitches to close a laceration inside his mouth following a collision with LA’s Avery Bradley on Sunday.

DONCIC HONORED

Doncic was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November. Doncic started the team’s first 20 games and averaged a team-high 18.5 points. He’s second on the team in rebounds and assists.

“It means a lot,” Doncic said. “It’s just another example for me to keep working hard and keep fighting for what I want. There’s a lot to improve.”

The last Dallas player to be selected Rookie of the Month – and the only one since 2004 – was Yogi Ferrell in February 2017.

UP NEXT

Trail Blazers: Host Phoenix on Thursday.

Mavericks: Second half of a back-to-back Wednesday at New Orleans.

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