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Blazers cruise past Mavs

Mar 6, 2015 - 6:54 AM Portland, OR (SportsNetwork.com) - LaMarcus Aldridge posted 17 points and 12 rebounds in the Portland Trail Blazers' 94-75 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.

Nicolas Batum had a productive game with 15 points, 12 rebounds and six assists for the Blazers, who won their fifth straight game but lost a key piece to their team in the process.

With the game tied early in the third, Wesley Matthews left the game and did not return. Matthews fell to the floor as he cut with the ball and needed to be helped off the court. An MRI after the game revealed a ruptured Achilles tendon which will cause him to miss the remainder of the season.

The Blazers responded to the injury with a 12-4 run as Damian Lillard buried back-to-back 3-pointers before a Batum basket that stretched their lead to 52-44. Portland continued to roll, leading by as many as 16 and entering the fourth quarter with a 71-57 lead.

Alonzo Gee's dunk gave the hosts an 80-63 lead, but Dallas managed to cut the deficit to 10 with over four minutes left. Batum fired in a trey at the other end, however, to seal the outcome.

Monta Ellis and Amar'e Stoudemire each had 12 points, while Dirk Nowitzki and Rajon Rondo each added 10 in the loss.

Dallas welcomed Tyson Chandler back to the fold and he pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds in his return.

Portland shook off its sluggish start with a 9-2 run to gain an early 11-10 lead. Dallas scored the final six points of the first quarter for a 23-17 advantage.

The Blazers kept the back-and-forth affair going in the second, as Arron Afflalo netted four points during an 8-0 burst to begin the quarter. Ellis' jumper helped the Mavericks regain a seven-point edge, but Aldridge dropped in the first two buckets of a 12-1 run over the final 3:14 of the half to help the Blazers surge into the break up 40-36.

Game Notes

Dallas started a three-game road trip on Thursday that will include stops in Golden State and Los Angeles against the Lakers ... Portland went 19-of-21 from the free throw line, while Dallas made 7-of-8 attempts from the stripe ... Lillard had 14 points with six rebounds and five assists ... Chandler Parsons remained out for the Mavericks with an ankle injury ... There were eight ties and seven lead changes.