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Terry, Mavericks continue dominance of Trail Blazers

Jan 11, 2007 - 5:57 AM DALLAS (Ticker) -- It was more of the same for the Dallas Mavericks against the Portland Trail Blazers.

Jason Terry scored 20 points and Josh Howard added 17 as the red-hot Mavericks used a lethal perimeter game en route to a 99-74 victory over the Trail Blazers.

One of the most well-balanced teams in the league, Dallas used solid defense and stellar shooting to overwhelm Portland and win for the 15th time in 16 games. The Mavericks shot 52 percent (35-of-68) from the field and 10-of-16 from 3-point range.

"We don't like to shoot a lot of threes you know, as coach (Avery Johnson) will tell you," Terry said. "But when it's going good, it's good. Guys were taking shots in rhythm. Good 3-pointers, not contested ones."

Dallas has won 12 in a row against Portland dating to December 23, 2003. Owners of the NBA's best record, the Mavericks (29-8) also extended their home winning streak to 10 games.

"They've been one of the top teams in the West for a long time," Blazers center Joel Przybilla said. "For some reason, they're just one of those teams that has our number, I guess. We get them again later this year so hopefully we get them then."

Terry continued his strong play, shooting 8-of-12 from the floor and 3-of-4 on 3-pointers. He used his trademark quickness to break down Portland's defense and received little resistance.

"Coach (Johnson) just said to shoot. He just hammered it back home that that's my job on this team, to just shoot the ball," Terry said. "I'm back kind of looking for my shot first and my teammates are getting me open and putting me in a good position to score. That makes me aggressive."

Terry's ball pressure also helped the Mavericks allow their second-fewest points this season. The New Orleans Hornets scored 73 in Dallas on November 25.

"We knew we needed to play a lot better on the defensive end," Terry said. "Tonight was a good example of good team defense. I thought (Erick) Dampier played big inside, really controlling the paint and grabbing all the boards.

Dampier scored just two points but corralled 10 boards.

With the game tied, 22-22, after the first quarter, Dallas outscored the Blazers, 25-12, in the second period to take control.

"They started hitting shots and we couldn't throw anything in the basket," Portland forward Zach Randolph said. "They started hitting shots and just ran out on us and we couldn't stop them on the other end. So, it's tough playing like that."

Terry scored eight points on 3-of-3 shooting in the second quarter.

Randolph netted 21 points and rookie Brandon Roy added 15 for the Blazers, who shot just 39 percent (28-of-71) in losing for the seventh time in eight games.

Portland was coming off Tuesday's 94-84 setback at San Antonio. "We knew what to expect coming into San Antonio and Dallas, these are two championship caliber teams," Randolph said. "Everybody went into that game (Wednesday) and couldn't hit open shots. We're going to have to work on hitting open shots and playing out of that double-team."