After getting within shouting distance of the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference, suddenly the Dallas Mavericks are headed in the wrong direction.
Guard C.J. McCollum knifed his way into the lane and scored with a mere 0.3 seconds remaining to lift the Portland Trail Blazers to a 114-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The loss was the second in as many nights for the Mavs, who had won nine of their previous 12 games prior to Monday’s blowout loss in Denver. The Mavs are now tied with Sacramento and New Orleans for 10th in the West at 20-32, ninth-seeded Portland is 23-30 and eighth-seeded Denver is 23-28.