Mavericks Vs. Blazers Score: Portland Takes Lead Into Halftime, 52-50

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To say the first half in Dallas has been wild would be an understatement. The Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks engaged in a back-and-forth battle before the Blazers nudged ahead at the half, 52-50. Portland jumped out to a two-point lead after the first quarter before extending the advantage to six midway through the second quarter. But the Mavs came gunning right back with a run of their own to tie the came but couldn’t hold-off the offensive onslaught from LaMarcus Aldridge and Gerald Wallace.

Brendan Haywood had a chance to tie the game heading in the half but missed two free throws, failing to hit rim on one, with just fractions of a second left. As it went, the Mavs took a two-point deficit into the half and have struggled to shutdown a Portland attack that’s been a four-pronged attack.

Aldridge led the way with 16 points, followed by Wallace’s 11. Nicolas Batum added 10 points off the bench. Wesley Matthews recovered from what looked to be a serious head injury to score nine points in the first half, rounding out the Blazers scoring attack. The other six Blazers to log minutes scored a combined six points.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a team-high 14 points for the Mavs in the first half. Peja Stojakovic was also in double-figures, coming off the bench to score 10 points. Jason Kidd scored nine points and was beginning to heat up in the second quarter. Jason Terry added eight points off the bench.

Be sure to follow our series coverage at our Mavericks vs. Blazers hub. For more on Portland, visit Blazersedge. For more on the Mavericks, check out Mavs Moneyball and SB Nation Dallas.