Short night for Aldridge, long night for Mavericks in Moda Center

Published 12:00 am Friday, November 7, 2014

For a half, the Dallas Mavericks were more than a match for the Trail Blazers.

Then the Mavericks faded away like the Wicked Witch of the West.

Trailing 50-46 at halftime, Portland outscored the Mavericks 35-18 in the third quarter and breezed to a 108-87 victory Thursday night at the Moda Center.

“We picked it up, put our foot on their throats and then finished them off,” reserve center Chris Kaman said after the Blazers’ most one-sided triumph over Dallas in more than 12 years.

The Mavericks (3-2) entered the game leading the NBA in scoring (111.8 points per game) and field-goal percentage (.524). They scored nearly 25 points below their average and shot a season-low .367.

Portland (3-2) shot .519 from the field, drilled 12 of 30 3-point attempts, dominated the backboards 53-34 and had a 25-14 advantage in assists.

The second half was suitable for framing for the Blazers (3-2), who shot .562 from the field and .500 from beyond the arc, owned the boards 29-12 and held an 11-5 edge in assists. The Mavericks shot .333 from the field and 1 for 14 from 3-point territory after intermission.

“We defended well the first half; we just couldn’t get ourselves going like we’d have liked offensively,” said Portland’s Damian Lillard, who contributed 18 points, six assists and five rebounds. “The second half, we put both ends together, and that’s why we were able to pull away.”

Portland seized control with a 19-5 burst at the onset of the third quarter to go in front 65-55. Soon it was 71-59. Dallas scored seven in a row to close the gap to 71-66, but the Blazers answered with a 10-0 streak for an 81-66 lead late in the period.

“Coming out of the locker room (at halftime), we picked up our aggressiveness,” Portland coach Terry Stotts said. “There was a lot to like.”

Such was the decisiveness of the win that Stotts had the luxury of sitting LaMarcus Aldridge — who scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds in only 30 minutes — for the entire fourth quarter.

“Didn’t expect it,” Aldridge said, “but I’ll take it.”

The Blazers entered the game ranked second in the NBA in opponents’ field-goal percentage (.409) and third in opponents’ scoring (92.3) and improved in both categories Thursday night.

“Tonight, guys played defense at a high level,” Aldridge said. “Guys are focusing on certain areas of emphasis. Every game we’re getting better.”

“We’re been playing good defense throughout these five games,” said guard Wesley Matthews, who had 12 points and four rebounds in his 25 minutes. “Now it’s starting to show a little more because our offense is starting to click. Now we’re getting the stops and making teams pay on the other end.”

Portland did a nice defensive job on Dallas’s Dirk Nowitzki, who made only 6 of 17 shots from the field and scored only two of his 17 points after intermission.

“We did a lot of switching,” Stotts said. “Both our bigs and guards did a good job communicating the switches. Dirk causes so many problems; you just try to limit him. When our guards were switched onto him, they did a nice job of getting into him and not giving up most spots. And when our bigs switched onto a perimeter player, they did a good job in containing.”

“You always have to be aware of where (Nowitzki) is,” said center Robin Lopez, who had eight points, eight rebounds and three blocked shots in 24 minutes. “They’re going to try to get him open on some sort of down screen or cross screen. W”e did a good job of being conscious of that.

Especially in the first half, the Mavericks double-teamed Aldridge every time he touched the ball.

“We were able to exploit L.A. on the block,” Stotts said. “He did a remarkable job of accepting the double, kicking it out and finding shooters on the weak side.”

Kaman had a terrific game, sinking all six field-goal attempts while collecting 12 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench.

“When you have an option like that coming off the bench, that’s very formidable,” Lopez said. “That’s an offensive and defensive punch for us.”

Aldridge said it’s too early in the season to draw conclusions about the Blazers.

“It’s a process,” he said. “It’s about jelling. It’s about creating our identity offensively, about improving defensively. This was a good step in the right direction.”

Kaman said he looks at it this way:

“We just played a five-game series, and we’re 3-2. That’s good. There’s a lot to learn from the games we lost. The West is stacked from top to bottom. We’re going to have to be on our game every night.”

NOTES: A female fan suffered a medical emergency near the end of the third quarter, stopping play briefly. She was administered to by medics, wheeled off the court and transported to nearby Legacy Emanuel Medical Center. … Nicolas Batum wasn’t far off the fifth triple-double of his career, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds and nine assists. But he was only 2 for 8 from the field. “Nic’s flirting with a triple-double, and there’s so much more there,” Stotts said. “I know he’d like to shoot the ball better. He struggled with some open shots. But that’s what we need him to do — fill the stat sheet.” … Lillard got his numbers, but had some bad ones, too. He was 1 for 6 on 3-point tries and had five turnovers in his 32 minutes. … The 21-point margin was Portland’s largest against Dallas since a 132-106 rout in March 2002. … The Blazers’ reserves outscored their Mavericks counterparts 52-35, shooting 16 for 28 from the field and 7 for 12 from 3-point range. CJ McCollum scored a season-high 13 points with three assists in 21 minutes while Thomas Robinson had three points and four boards in 13 minutes. … Aldridge notched his 11,000th career point in the first quarter. He ranks third on the Blazers’ career scoring list behind Clyde Drexler (18,040) and Terry Porter (11,330).

kerryeggers@portlandtribune.com

Twitter: @kerryeggers