Nowitzki 28 for Mavs in Game 1 win over Portland
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Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and the Dallas Mavericks defeated Portland 89-81 Saturday night in Game 1 of their Western Conference first round series.
Even though Nowitzki struggled from the field most of the night, making only 7 of 20 shots, he came through when the Mavericks needed him most.
Nowitzki scored 12 consecutive points in the game-turning spurt in the closing minutes when Dallas tied the game and eventually went ahead to stay.
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Jason Kidd added 24 points, including a playoff career-best six 3-pointers.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points for Portland and Andre Miller had 18.
Soon after Portland had its largest lead of six points, the Mavericks got back within 72-70 when Nowitzki made two free throws with 4:49 left.
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After Kidd rebounded a Miller miss, Nowitzki got fouled and hit two more free throws to tie the game.
Miller scored with a finger-roll, but Nowitzki hit a 3-pointer from the right side to put the Mavs ahead to stay with 3:40 left.
Even after he was fouled hard to the floor and rubbing his left elbow before getting up on the next possession, Nowitzki made two more free throws.
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Aldridge then had a scooping shot before Nowitzki spun between two defenders at the free throw line and made the shot while being fouled. His free throw made it 80-76.
Dallas, the No. 3 Western Conference seed, survived in Game 1 against a fiesty bunch of Trail Blazers who have become a chic pick for a first-round playoff upset. Partly because the Mavericks have been knocked out in the first round three of the last four years since taking a 2-0 lead in the 2006 NBA Finals.
Game 2 is Tuesday night in Dallas.
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The 38-year-old Kidd, in his 122nd playoff game over 15 NBA postseasons, was 9-of-14 shooting — including six 3-pointers. He also had four assists and two steals.
Portland built its lead to 72-66 when Brandon Roy turned and saw Nicolas Batum charging along the baseline and passed him the ball for an easy dunk.
That came during a span with Dallas missed 10 consecutive field goals over a stretch of nearly 11 minutes after building a 10-point lead. Kidd's stepback jumper with 5:28 left in the game ended that miserable spurt before Nowitzki took over.
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Aldridge got off to a fast start with 11 points in the first 7 1/2 minutes of the game. That included eight points in a span of less than 2 minutes that he bookended with a pair of alley-oop dunks from Marcus Camby to put the Blazers up 15-14.
A long 3-pointer by Jason Terry put the Mavericks up 33-26. Portland cut the gap to 35-33 on Batum's bounce pass through the lane to Miller for a basket.
A putback dunk by Brendan Haywood ignited a half-ending 12-4 run. That was the first of seven straight points for Dallas before Aldridge had another high-flying dunk with 3 minutes left in the half — this one on a pass from Miller — for his first basket since his early scoring flurry, and only other one before halftime.
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After Portland scored the first six points of the second half, cutting the gap to 47-43, Kidd consecutive 3-pointers. Kidd ended up with the ball after miss another from beyond the arc, then got the ball to Shawn Marion for a 16-footer. Less than 2 minutes later, Kidd hit another long jumper for a 57-47 lead.
Less than two weeks ago in Portland, Kidd was scoreless while missing all six of his shots — five of them 3-pointers.
Notes: Portland has lost 14 of its last 16 road playoff games. ... After Rudy Fernandez opened Portland's scoring in the second quarter with a 3-pointer for a 25-23 lead, Peja Stojakovic hit consecutive 3s for Dallas. The second one he front rim and bounced high in the air before falling through the hoop. ... Mavericks G Rodrigue Beaubois was out with a sprained left foot. ... The last time Dallas and Portland met in the playoffs, the Mavericks took a 3-0 lead in their 2003 first-round series before having to win Game 7 to advance.