Featuring All-Stars Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic, tonight’s clash between the Portland Trail Blazers and the Dallas Mavericks was supposed to light up the scoreboard like a Christmas tree on July 4th. He lived up to his billing as well. The teams combined 240 points, 50% shooting from the ground and 45% shooting from the bow. However, when all was said and done, neither Lillard nor Doncic would become the player in the game. Resurgent CJ McCollum gave Portland 32 points, including 7-13 shots from the hoop, to give his team a 125-119 win.
Doncic added 38 points to the Mavericks in defeat, Lillard 31. Carmelo Anthony gave Portland 18 points off the bench.
First quarter
The opening of this confrontation supposedly with a high score was not … such a high score. Both teams had trouble connecting, as each did a good job on the opponent’s ultra-octane guard. Luka Doncic scored, but only in deep threes. Lillard had a few shots, but CJ McCollum did real damage, hitting from a distance and after three. After that, Dallas was no longer able to watch Dame and started to pet more. And then what, everything came loose. Lillard began to roast the Mavs from a distance while the attackers fired open shots. The increased offensive pace also helped Dallas score, but not as much as Portland’s. The second unit did not do so well, however. They were unable to close the arc when the Mavericks took their torches from a distance. Dallas reached 7-11 out of three in the first, Portland 8-12. The Blazers led 37-33 after one.
Second bedroom
McCollum continued on fire when the second started, stroking a pair of threes, signaling that it was his night, all night. Portland’s defense continued to play permissively, however. Doncic cut the track while the Mavericks support team cleaned up the jumpers. Your attack looks incredible, but are you not sure if it matters? This is so Portland.
The Mavs began to lose their composure in the middle of the room, gaining a couple of technical fouls. Enes Kanter added to his woes, scoring from the inside against almost no resistance. But the Dallas three continued to fall, and as long as they did, they could stay in the game. The Mavericks did not have any internal games at the end of the period, however. His three kept them close, but without Doncic ruining the Blazers in the painting, the jumpers couldn’t put them ahead. Portland led with 64-60 at halftime.
Third quarter
Damian Lillard and Carmelo Anthony brought their A-games for the third period, while McCollum continued to hum. Portland looked good on the offensive side … all announced or imagined when this team was assembled. But, Holy Bacon Bits, Dallas had fun painting on the other side. 8 minutes into the period, the Mavs had half a dozen marks on the track with zero errors. They were also shooting 50% of the bow at that point. Again, the cumulative effect was like eating tons of ice cream; it tastes so good, but you know this is going to be bad for you at some point. The point came in the final three minutes of the period, when the Mavs added 10 points and took the lead in a virtually tied game. Anthony came to the rescue of Portland with a three hitting buzzer, but still left the Blazers losing 98-93 by going to the fourth.
Fourth trimester
The first minutes of the fourth were and came back. Both teams retained the majority of their main players, Dallas feeling that victory would be easier if it was decided early on, Portland decided not to allow that to happen. This did not include Lillard, who experienced a frightening moment three minutes from the end of the third, when Josh Richardson fell to his knees when Lillard was on the floor. Gary Trent Jr. made up for Lillard’s absence, coming out of hibernation to hit a three and a medium-range jumper, so McCollum buried one of the depths. Trey Burke tapped a couple on the other end of the line to answer. It was obvious that the furious score would continue until the final bell.
Blazers fans breathed a double sigh of relief in the middle of the room when McCollum hit three more and Lillard returned to the game, apparently well. Dallas’ lead remained stubborn, however, fluctuating between 4-6 points as the clock continued to slow. Then Lillard hit Rodney Hood for a three with 4:26 remaining to reduce the lead to one. There was no escaping an exciting ending.
But then a funny thing happened. The Blazers started to defend themselves. A Lillard robbery led to Anthony’s dunk. Then, Trent, Jr. blocked a Doncic jumper, followed by a score from Lillard. The lead was from Portland again. The Mavericks were on their way to a quarter of a shot below 40%. Meanwhile, Lillard continued to score. Portland led by 3 when the 2:00 mark passed. Dallas kept trying three, but couldn’t get them right. Then McCollum crowned his night with a three with 1:17 remaining. Portland led by 6 and the Mavericks were in trouble. The problem turned to disgrace when Robert Covington buried a three in the corner after an offensive rebound, putting Portland 7 to 34 seconds from the end. The Blazers looked happy. Most importantly, they looked good when counted.
The victory was coach Terry Stotts’ 500th in the NBA.
Points Box
The Blazers will face these same Mavericks on Sunday night at 7 pm in the Pacific.