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Aldridge lifts Blazers over Mavs in OT

Apr 7, 2012 - 4:20 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - It seemed as if Portland and Dallas would be heading into double overtime for the second straight meeting between the teams, but LaMarcus Aldridge connected on a fadeaway jumper as the buzzer sounded in overtime to lift the Trail Blazers over the Mavericks, 99-97, at American Airlines Center.

"We wanted LaMarcus to get the ball. LaMarcus is our All-Star, and he's working his tail off. To his credit he hit a big time shot tonight," Trail Blazers head coach Kaleb Canales said. "Big time player, big time shot."

These teams last met on February 11 with Dallas taking a 97-94 decision in double OT behind Delonte West's six points in the second overtime period.

Aldridge finished with 25 points and 12 rebounds, while Raymond Felton scored a season-high 30 points to go along with seven rebounds and six assists for Portland, which won consecutive games for the first time since January 23-24.

Dirk Nowitzki paced the Mavericks with 23 points and 13 boards. Jason Terry added 18 points and five assists in Dallas' third loss in five games.

Dallas held a 56-44 lead entering the third quarter but was held to just 22.2 percent shooting in the frame to allow Portland to storm back.

After a Vince Carter layup put the Mavericks on top, 60-48, a little after two minutes into the third, the Mavs would record just six more points as the Trail Blazers reeled off 26 in that span to carry a 74-66 lead into the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks recorded just 10 points in the third quarter, a new season-low.

Dallas, though, opened the fourth with an 11-0 run, capped by Rodrigue Beaubois' driving layup, to retake the lead, 77-74, nearly four minutes into the quarter.

It remained a one-possession game from there until a Jamal Crawford three- pointer put the Trail Blazers ahead, 87-83, with a little over four minutes left.

Terry then connected on consecutive treys around a Felton layup to knot the game at 89 with 2 1/2 minutes remaining in the fourth. Crawford's driving layup later gave Portland back the advantage, but after the teams traded misses on the ensuing two possessions, Terry fed a pass down low from the top of the key to Shawn Marion and he finished with a layup to tie the game at 91 with 15.9 seconds left on the clock.

Portland had a chance for the game-winner at the other end, but Terry stole the ball off of Crawford and his running three from a few feet beyond the three-point line as time expired bounced high off the glass, forcing overtime.

Dallas never led in the extra period, but answered every Portland basket to keep it a one-possession game throughout overtime.

With the game tied at 97 and time winding down, Nowitzki grabbed the rebound of a missed Felton trey and threw a pass down the court to a wide open Marion for what would have been the go-ahead basket.

However, his pass was well off the mark and bounced out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Blazers with 21.4 seconds on the clock.

Dallas' defense held at first, but coming out of a timeout with 3.7 seconds left, Aldridge grabbed the inbounds pass and made a quick fake before stepping back and throwing up a fadeaway jumper from the left elbow that found nothing but net as time expired for the game-winner.

"It's time for everybody to get in gear. We showed some signs tonight in the first half, but the third quarter was tough. It took a lot out of us," said Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle. "We battled to get back but expended a lot of energy. Too much was left to chance."

After an Aldridge jumper gave Portland an early 6-4 lead, Nowitzki netted eight points in a 12-0 run by the Mavericks to jump out to a 16-6 lead.

Back-to-back three-pointers by Felton snapped the run and sparked a 10-2 spurt by the Trail Blazers to cut their deficit to two, but Dallas closed out the first quarter with a 9-1 push to carry a 27-17 lead into the second.

Portland managed to get within seven, 29-22, when Flynn's trey was followed by a Luke Babbitt field goal within the first minute and a half of the second quarter, but Brandan Wright's three-point play regained the Maverick's double- digit lead and they led by at least nine for the remainder of the half en route to a 56-44 advantage at the break.

Game Notes

Terry made four three-pointers in the contest to give him 1,764 for his career and pass Peja Stojakovic for fifth all-time in career threes. Chauncey Billups sits in fourth place with 1,783 treys...Portland improved to 8-19 on the road this season, while Dallas fell to 20-10 at home...The Trail Blazers held a 51-44 rebounding advantage...The game had four lead changes and 12 ties.