PORTLAND – Even with some of their best players in street clothes Sunday night, the Dallas Mavericks hung pretty close to the Portland Trail Blazers for a very long time.
Then came a pivotal stretch that lasted less than three minutes which decided a game the Blazers eventually won, 140-123, at the Moda Center. That’s when the Blazers went on a blistering 16-0 run to turn a 106-103 lead into a game-deciding 122-103 advantage with 7:13 remaining in the contest.
This was the final game of a five-game, nine-day rod trop for the Mavs. They went just 1-4 on the trip and are now 24-21 going into Wednesday’s home game against the Atlanta Hawks.