On the night they debuted their new “City” jerseys (black featuring neon green and blue accents representing Dallas’ skyline), Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum spoiled the event for Dallas as Portland extended the Mavericks’ losing ways with a 107-93 win.
The Mavericks (16-33) opened the game strong by limiting Portland to just 17 points in the opening frame. McCollum had 11 points in the frame, but went just 8-of-21 from the field while Dallas opened 11-of-44 and 3-of-5 from deep.
Portland responded with a 35-17 effort in the second quarter, turning a double-digit deficit into a 52-44 lead for the Mavericks.
Dennis Smith Jr. was excellent even in defeat, exploding in the third quarter for transition 3s, strong drives to the basket and he had several assists to help keep the Mavericks in range. He finished with 18 points, seven assists and four rebounds.
In the fourth, Portland’s lead ballooned to 95-74 as Lillard continued to stay hot. Ed Davis also turned in a solid game for the Blazers with 15 points and 13 rebounds. Lillard finished with 29 points on 9-of-18 shooting including 3-of-8 from deep.
Harrison Barnes was the top scorer for Dallas with 21 points on 6-of-15 shooting. He also snagged seven boards and went 7-of-7 from the foul line.
Dallas plays at Denver tomorrow night at 8 p.m. before returning home on Monday to face the Heat. After that, the Mavericks are on the road for four straight against the Suns, Kings, Clippers and Warriors before returning home to play Lakers on Saturday, Feb. 10.
Dallas then has a road matchup with Houston the very next day before completing their pre-All Star break schedule with a home game against the Kings on Tuesday, Feb. 13.
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