Dallas Mavericks

Mavs Storm Past Blazers in OT, 111-101

Mavericks 111, Blazers 101

Dirk Nowitzki capped a late rally with a 3-pointer that forced overtime and finished with 25 points, Chandler Parsons scored 10 of his 20 in the extra period and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 111-101 Saturday night.

The Blazers lost their seventh straight road game by blowing an 11-point lead in the last 2 minutes of regulation. Nowitzki's high-arching swish from the top of the key with 20 seconds left finished a 7-0 run for a 96-all tie.
 
The Mavericks scored the first nine points of overtime as part of a 22-2 run. Parsons started overtime with two free throws and pumped his fist after a fadeaway jumper that put Dallas ahead by 10.
 
Damian Lillard scored 26 and LaMarcus Aldridge had 25 for the Blazers.
 
The Mavericks gave themselves a chance by getting 3-pointers from Devin Harris and Parsons just 12 seconds apart to pull within five with 1:43 to go in regulation. Harris then knocked the ball away from Lillard, took a pass from Monta Ellis and hit a layup.
 
After Lillard missed a long 3, Harris rebounded a missed 3-pointer from Ellis to set up Nowitzki's tying shot to a huge roar from what was left of a crowd that thought the Mavericks were on their way to a 12th loss in 14 games against current Western Conference playoff teams.
 
Instead, Dallas (35-18) pulled into a virtual tie with Portland (34-17) for fourth place and snapped a two-game winning streak for the Blazers that followed a three-game skid, all on the road.
 
Ellis had 20 points and six assists.
 
Aldridge scored 13 points in the third quarter, which ended on a 12-5 Portland run for a 13-point lead. The margin ballooned to 16 when Wesley Matthews, who had 17 points, hit a 3-pointer to start the fourth.
 
Lillard hit his first four 3-pointers after going 2 of 30 from long range the previous four games, and the Blazers put the ball in his hands after Nowitzki's tying shot. But after dribbling out most of the clock, Lillard missed badly on a 3 just before the buzzer. He finished 4 of 10 from long range.
 
The Blazers missed their first two shots and first three free throws of overtime before finally scoring with 2:08 left on the second of two free throws by Aldridge, who was called for traveling on Portland's first possession of the extra period.
Copyright AP - Associated Press
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