Blazers at Mavericks final score: Portland dominates the glass in 127-111 win over Dallas
By Brad Rowland
On a night when LaMarcus Aldridge had 30 points and 12 rebounds, it is hard to believe that he wouldn’t be the principal key in leading the Blazers to a 127-111 win over the Mavs, but even Aldridge takes a back seat to this one.
The Portland Trail Blazers out-rebounded the Dallas Mavericks by twenty-five boards in a 48-minute game. Yes, you read that correctly. Portland grabbed 55 rebounds to just 30 for Dallas, and as a result, the Blazers were able to overcome 15 turnovers (to just 8 for Dallas) and use a big night from their entire starting 5 to secure an easy victory.
In addition to Aldridge and the rebounding, the entire starting unit for Portland finished with at least a +20 on-court rating in the game. There were two additional double-doubles, as Robin Lopez (16 points, 12 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (14 points, 10 assists) teamed up with Aldridge to lead the way. Throw in a 21-point, 7-rebound night from Nic Batum and the lock-down defense of Wes Matthews, and it was smooth sailing.
For as well as Portland played (they even made 26 of 28 at the free throw line), Dallas actually played reasonably well with the glaring exception of the rebounding margin. The Mavs shot 47% from the field and 39% from beyond the arc, turned the ball over only 8 times, and even placed a staggering eight players with 8+ points in the game. Still, Dallas didn’t have a single “breakout” effort (Dirk Nowitzki led the way with 18 points), and the extra possessions given to Portland as a result of the glass gave Dallas a big-time hole that they couldn’t emerge from in this one.
Portland rolls on with a 31-9 record as they leave Dallas, but fortunately for the Mavs, it is only one loss (to a very, very good team) on a long, 82-game schedule.