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Blazers and Mavs square off in Game 2

Apr 19, 2011 - 2:39 PM (Sports Network) - The Dallas Mavericks hope to hold serve in their Western Conference quarterfinals set with the Portland Trail Blazers when the teams square off in Game 2 in Big D.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the final quarter on Saturday, helping Dallas rally past the Blazers, 89-81, in the opener of their series.

Jason Kidd sank six three-point shots on the way to a 24-point night for the third-seeded Mavericks, who trailed by six midway through the fourth. They finished the game on a 23-9 burst. Nowitzki was perfect on 13 foul shots, all of which came in the final quarter.

"They want me to be aggressive. We all know that Dirk and Jet (Jason Terry) are offensive guys and they put the ball up," Kidd said. "But, in the playoffs you have to have other guys step up and score and I know that our opponents are going to give me that jump shot and I have to be able to knock it down. Tonight was a good example of that."

"We had some guys who didn't play their best games, but Jason Kidd played the game of his year to this point," added Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle. "Every shot he made, every play he made was absolutely essential for us."

LaMarcus Aldridge led the way with 27 points for the Trail Blazers. Marcus Camby had 18 points and Andre Miller scored 18 in defeat.

It was a disappointing night for the Portland guard tandem of Wesley Matthews and Brandon Roy, however, along with forward Gerald Wallace. Matthews and Roy each scored two points and combined to go 2-of-10 from the field, while Wallace netted just eight points on 4-of-13 shooting.

"For the most part, we had open looks," Blazers coach Nate McMillan said. "We're going to get open looks the way their defense plays. We've got to knock those shots down."

The frustration clearly got to McMillan, who was fined $35,000 by the NBA Monday for criticizing the officiating in the game. The Blazers' mentor was especially upset over the disparity at the free throw line, where the Mavs had 29 attempts to Portland's 13, a differential all the more curious since Dallas made just one bucket in the paint during the second half.

The Mavericks split four meetings with Portland in the regular season and Dallas has always been tough on Portland in north Texas. Including Saturday's opener, the Blazers have lost 14 of 16 in Big D.

Portland and Dallas have met in the playoffs three times previously, with the Trail Blazers winning two of the three series. Portland is now 9-6 against the Mavericks in postseason play. The last time these two squads met in the playoffs was in 2003.

The set shifts to Rip City for Game 3 on Thursday.