Nowitzki, Terry lead Mavs over Blazers in 2OT

DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki scored 20 points, Jason Terry added 19, and the Dallas Mavericks held on for a 97-94 double-overtime victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night.

Former Dallas-area high school star LaMarcus Aldridge had 33 points, 15 during a fourth-quarter rally, and Jamal Crawford contributed 19 points for the Trail Blazers.

Shawn Marion had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which won its third in a row.

Delonte West hit an 11-footer for Dallas to open the second overtime. West later converted jumpers on consecutive possessions to give Dallas a 93-89 advantage with 2:55 left.

Crawford hit two free throws and Aldridge made a 12-footer with 1:43 remaining in the second extra session to draw Portland even at 93.

But Brendan Haywood's tip-in with 45 seconds remaining in the second overtime gave Dallas a 95-93 edge.

Crawford missed from 15 feet, and Nowitzki swished a 15-foot fadeaway with 16.9 seconds left in the second OT for a 97-93 lead.

Wes Matthews made one of two free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining, Portland got the rebound of the second miss, but Crawford's desperation 26-footer failed to hit the rim as final buzzer sounded.

Both teams were on the second leg of back-to-backs and wore down as the game wore on.

Dallas won on Friday night at Minnesota 104-97, while Portland defeated New Orleans on the road 94-86.

Portland's Nicolas Batum made a 20-footer from the corner to open the first overtime, and Crawford's layup with 3:42 left gave his team an 85-83 lead.

Nowitzki made a 17-footer, Marion hit a layup with 1:08 remaining in the first overtime, and Marion converted two free throws with 37.3 seconds left to put Dallas in front 87-85.

Aldridge rolled in an 11-foot jump-hook with 23.9 seconds left in the first overtime to tie it at 87, Nowitzki missed from 13 feet with 3 seconds left, and the game went to a second overtime.

Portland rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit.

Crawford's layup with 54 seconds remaining in regulation got Portland within 81-79, and Nowitzki's miss from 21 feet with 32 seconds left gave Portland a shot at tying the game.

Aldridge's 15-foot turnaround with 12 seconds left in regulation drew Portland even at 81.

The Blazers got off to a sluggish start, missing 12 of their first 17 field goal attempts as the Mavs surged to an 18-10 lead behind Nowitzki's eight points.

Portland went 7 for 24 from the floor in the opening period and Dallas carried a 25-14 advantage into the second quarter.

The Mavs led at halftime, 43-32 on the strength of 18-of-36 shooting from the floor and 12 points from Nowitzki.

NOTES: The teams met for the first time since the Mavericks won a six-game series in the opening round of last season's Western Conference playoffs. Before Saturday night's game, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle called that six-game set "as hard a series as we had. They play a tough, physical playoff style even in the regular season." The Mavs went on to capture their first NBA title. ... Portland's 14 points in the first quarter were its low opening quarter this season. ... Portland C Marcus Camby took a charging foul from Dallas' Lamar Odom with 5:43 left in the second quarter and sustained what appeared to be a right ankle injury.