It looked like a win all night, until it wasn’t. The Portland Trail Blazers played like nice, moist brisket, with tasty rotations on defense and tangy offensive possessions leading to a double-digit lead in the fourth. But they were smoked in the final minutes by a Mavericks surge led by their bigs and finished with their shooters. Leading 109-99 with 4:30 remaining, the Blazers simmered with just two more points, while Dallas roasted them with 18, capping a 117-111 Portland loss.
That was a decidedly unpleasant ending for anyone but the Dallas faithful. But much like Portland’s 2-3 road trip, not everything from this game was as disheartening.