Damian Lillard and Portland do it again against Dallas

After ending their five-game losing streak, already at Dallas and at home, the Blazers rebounded last night to win again over the Mavs (140-123), who found Christian Wood but thrived without Luka Doncic. was allowed to rest.

After another great game from Damian Lillard (40 points, 6 assists), Portland chained its second consecutive success for the first time since mid-December, relying on the trio of Jusuf Nurkic (20 points, 4 rebounds) – Jerami Grant (20 points, 4 rebounds) – Anfernee Simons (20 points, 4 rebounds) really fit. They scored 100 points between them alone!

Trailing 98-96 at the start of the fourth quarter, the Blazers were able to make the difference in the home game by posting a final offensive boost in the period, 42-28.

For Dallas, this doubleheader in Oregon ended with two losses, and a five-game “road trip” on the West Coast ended with an infamous record of four losses for a small victory (in double overtime against the Lakers) …

WHAT TO REMEMBER

– Damian Lillard is back! After losing the first two games of their series against the Mavs in Dallas, Damian Lillard and the Blazers set a record at home. Something to give them some reassurance is that they are on a bad streak of five straight losses. The grand architect of those two franchise-boosting successes is obviously Damian Lillard, who went on a 36-point, 10-assist, 40-point, 6-assist streak to help the Blazers climb atop the Western Conference standings. “After our tough losing streak, we were absolutely looking for a win. We bought it the other night. Big win. But it is always difficult to beat a team twice in a row. We had two guys on the bench, but we still have to be very precise and focused to win. »

– Mavs without Luke… Still, without Dorian Finney-Smith, Josh Green or Maxi Kleber, their three best defenders, as well as Luka Doncic and Tim Hardaway Jr. without rest, the Mavs hung the Blazers long ago. But, ultimately, the absence of their Slovenian superstar cost them in the final sprint and a clear lack of offense during that period (42-28): “Kids are getting used to playing without it.” Jason Kidd commented. “The first or second time, we could see that he hesitated a bit and we didn’t have the rhythm. But now that he’s already missed a few games, they have a better idea of ​​what he’s going to do when he’s not playing. »

– …and defenseless! After already scoring 136 points the previous day, the Mavs stormed back into Portland tonight with 140 points in the bag. They scored 79 points in the second half alone. “This is our defense. If we don’t want to be an offensive team that tries to score 140 points per game, we have to put in a better effort…” a frustrated Jason Kidd finishes.

TOPS/FLOPS

✅ Damian Lillard. Dame hasn’t dropped below 30 for five games now! After his 50-point game against the Cavs, he had a 36-point, 10-assist double-double to rebound from yesterday’s victory. Yesterday he did it again with a roaring shutout, plus 6 assists and a perfect 16/16 shooting!

✅ Yusuf Nurkic. He couldn’t repeat the double-double the day before (22 points, 11 rebounds) last night, but with 20 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, all on 5/8 shooting, the “Bosnian Monster” played with confidence and seriousness again.

✅ Nasser Little. The winger, who has been sidelined since Nov. 29 with hip pain, made a big return last night, and it’s safe to say that the Blazers did pretty well for the winger: 10 points in 16 minutes, including 3-of-5 3-pointers.

Spencer Dinwiddie. When Luka Doncic isn’t, he’s the leader of the Mavs! With 28 points and 9 assists, including a long-range bomb from the start, he managed a good game individually, not shying away from giving it his due at the penalty line (12/14) .

✅⛔ Christian Wood. The interior, absent from the previous clash due to an ankle injury, reappeared last night, but the Mavs’ rotation lacked rhythm and direction. If he finished with a double-double of 23 points and 16 rebounds, he shot a lot to get there (8/22, 1/8 on 3-pointers).

⛔ Frank Ntilikina. The day before, he started in place of Luka Doncic for the first time off the bench, going 7 points on 3-of-5 shooting off the bench, but the tricolor leader had no trouble scoring. He finished well with 7 assists, but tore up the offense with just 2 points on 1/5…

NEXT

Dallas (24-21) : Falcons host (on ESPN) this Thursday.

Portland (21-22): a trip to Denver on Wednesday before a six-game home series.