For three quarters, the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers played a back-and-forth game as neither team was able to seize control of their Game 2 playoff matchup. But in the fourth quarter, Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavs hit the throttle, burying the Blazers, 101-89, to take a 2-0 series lead. It was all Nowitzki in the closing moments as the Mavs big forward poured in 11 points for Dallas to put the game out of reach late.
Nowtizki scored a game-high 33 points and grabbed seven rebounds, placing the Mavs on his back and carrying them to the win. Jason Kidd added 18 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Peja Stojakovic came off the bench to chip-in 21 points, with Jason Terry adding another 10 points.
LaMarcus Aldridge had a double-double, scoring a team-high 24 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Gerald Wallace and Andre Miller added 18 points apiece in a complimentary role to Aldridge. Wesley Matthews came back from what looked like a devastating blow to the head in the first quarter to score 13 points. Nicolas Batum was also in double-figures with 10 points, all of which were scored in the first half.
Dallas takes a 2-0 series lead with the win, its first since the 2006 NBA Finals. The series heads to Portland for Game 3 on Thursday at 10:30 p.m.
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.
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