Doncic, Wood lead Mavericks to 130-110 win over Blazers
DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic scored 33 points, Christian Wood had a season-high 32 points along with 12 rebounds and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 130-110 on Friday night.
Two of Dallas' top three scorers each had 20 before halftime — the NBA scoring leader Doncic with 23 to 20 for Wood — and combined to make 22 of 35 from the field as Dallas shot 56%.
Damian Lillard also had 20 before the break with 21, but finished with 24 to end a four-game streak of at least 35 points that was tied for the longest in the NBA this season with Philadelphia's Joel Embiid.
The Mavericks ended the Blazers' three-game winning streak while beating Portland for the sixth consecutive time. The average margin during the streak is 25 points.
Dallas, which had lost three of its previous four games, outscored Portland 28-10 in the first seven minutes of the third quarter for a 27-point lead. The lead never fell below 19 after that.
Doncic and Lillard sat the entire fourth quarter with both teams on the first night of a back-to-back. Doncic went to the locker room with 6:40 remaining.
Lillard, who averaged 38 points in the previous four games, started hot again before cooling off with three straight misses from 3-point range in the second quarter. He finished 6 of 14.
Doncic was 11 of 18 from the field and Wood 11 of 17. They were the first Dallas teammates to score at least 20 points each in the same half since Doncic and Seth Curry in a 122-111 victory over Detroit in Mexico City three years ago.
Jusuf Nurkic and Trendon Watford scored 16 apiece for Portland, and Watford had 11 rebounds.
HELLO, HOME FOLKS
Kemba Walker made his home debut for Dallas, converting a three-point play when he beat the shot-clock buzzer with a rebound of his own miss and got fouled. He also had a 3 to finish with six points.
The four-time All-Star with a recent history of knee trouble signed with Dallas on Nov. 29. The 32-year-old Walker went unsigned the first six weeks of the season.
TIP-INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard is 46 points from passing Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler as the franchise's scoring leader. ... Jerami Grant, who scored 37 points in the first meeting this season, opened the scoring with a 3 but went 1 of 7 the rest of the way and finished with seven points.
Mavericks: Tim Hardaway Jr scored 17 points on 7-of-10 shooting. ... G Josh Green, who missed his fourth consecutive game with a right elbow sprain, will make the upcoming road trip. Coach Jason Kidd said the hope is Green will get to practice on the trip. ... C Dwight Powell sustained a left thigh contusion early in the third quarter and didn't return. The Mavs are already without F/C Maxi Kleber, who will miss multiple weeks with a torn hamstring.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: This is the second of three Texas stops to start the first of two season-long six-game trips. After Houston to finish a back-to-back Saturday, Portland plays consecutive games in Oklahoma City.
Mavericks: A four-game trip starts with the finish of a back-to-back in Cleveland on Saturday. The Cavaliers beat the Mavericks 105-90 in Dallas on Wednesday.
