Dallas, TX (Sports Network) – Dirk Nowitzki scored 12 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter and hit a series of big shots down the stretch to help Dallas pull out a 103-98 victory over Portland.
The Mavericks led by as many as 17, but needed a late push to rebound from Monday’s loss to Milwaukee. That setback snapped a 12-game win streak, and Wednesday’s victory improved Dallas’ record to 20-5.
Caron Butler scored 23 points to lead the Mavericks, who made 20-of-21 free throws and shot 54 percent.
LaMarcus Aldridge netted a season-high 35 points to go with 10 rebounds, but it wasn’t enough to prevent Portland from losing a third consecutive game.