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Mavs aim to jettison Blazers from postseason

Apr 28, 2011 - 2:32 PM (Sports Network) - Home court has proven to be the difference thus far in the Western Conference quarterfinals set between the Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers as the teams prepare to square off in Game 6 of their series in Rip City.

The Mavs held serve in the first two games of the set but came up empty during the following two in Portland. A return to north Texas on Monday put Dallas back on track and the Trail Blazers on the brink of elimination.

Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks put Saturday's collapse behind them in Game 5, as the German sharpshooter scored 25 points and pulled down eight rebounds to lead Dallas to a 93-82 victory over Portland.

The Mavs had blown a 23-point lead in Game 4's 84-82 loss to fall back into a tie in the series. But Monday's frontcourt effort and shutdown defense in the fourth quarter have the Mavs headed back to Portland holding a 3-2 series edge.

Jason Terry added 20 points, Shawn Marion scored 14 and Tyson Chandler put up 14 points and 20 boards, a franchise playoff-record 13 coming on the offensive end, for the victors. Jason Kidd chipped in 14 assists to make up for a 1- for-7 shooting night.

"I was just trying to be aggressive," Chandler said. "Tonight was a big game for us and we didn't want to go back to their place down in the series."

Andre Miller posted 18 points and seven assists for the Blazers, who were beaten on the glass, 49-37, but head into Game 6 on Thursday knowing they own an 8-1 home playoff record against Dallas.

Gerald Wallace and LaMarcus Aldridge each grabbed nine rebounds to go with 16 and 12 points, respectively while Brandon Roy was held to five points on 2- of-7 shooting.

"Big keys. Tyson [Chandler] on the boards ... and also allowing them to get into the penalty early," said Blazers head coach Nate McMillan, who was fined by the NBA for criticizing officials in a Game 1 loss and was hit with a technical foul late in the third quarter on Monday. "They just dominated the free throw line: 35 free throws to 19."

The home team has now won in all nine meetings between the teams this year, including the four regular season showdowns.

Portland and Dallas have met in the playoffs three times previously, with the Trail Blazers winning two of the three series. The last time these two squads met in the playoffs was in 2003 when the Mavs topped Portland in seven games.

Game 7 of the set, if necessary, will be Saturday back in Dallas.