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Mavs, Blazers battle in Portland

Nov 6, 2014 - 2:48 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - Two of the Western Conference's postseason teams from a season ago tangle early in this campaign when the Portland Trail Blazers welcome the Dallas Mavericks to the Moda Center.

"They're a great team," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. "They're a playoff team, and they're a different team than what we've seen with the quality of their big men and their 3-point shooting ability straight across the board. It's a tough matchup, and that's always a very difficult place to play."

The Mavs begin this mini road trip on a roll, winning three straight and vaulting into the league lead in scoring at 111.8 ppg. Dallas will also visit the Utah Jazz on Friday before returning home.

The Mavericks reached 3-1 Monday night with a 118-113 victory at home over the Boston Celtics.

Chandler Parsons scored 29 points on 10-of-15 shooting, but the Mavs nearly squandered a 26-point lead. Jeff Green and Avery Bradley fueled the Celtics' comeback, totaling 35 and 32 points, respectively. Bradley had a chance to tie things at the free throw line with 39.5 seconds to go but only made two of his three attempts.

Monta Ellis, after fouling Bradley behind the arc, ended Boston's 9-0 run with a tough runner off the glass to give Dallas a 116-113 lead. He made two more free throws to seal the win.

"They are scrappy and you know that they are going to continue to fight back," Mavs center Tyson Chandler said of the Celtics.

Dirk Nowitzki netted 27 points with seven rebounds while Ellis added 14 points for the Mavs. Chandler posted a double-double with 10 points and 12 boards, while Devin Harris managed 12 points.

The Mavs shot 53.7 percent from the floor and 56 percent from long range.

The Blazers got back on track Tuesday night. They halted a two-game slide with an emphatic statement game, a 101-82 home victory over LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

"Needless to say, it was good to get a win," said Trail Blazers coach Terry Stotts. "But more importantly, it was how we got it, how we played. That looked like the team that we need to be. We withstood their barrage in the first quarter, stayed with our schemes and our coverages and the next 3 1/2 quarters, we did a great job defensively. We stuck with the defense and we got rhythm to the offense. It was a solid win at both ends of the court."

The Cavs opened the game 10-for-10 from the field, but tailed off offensively. Cleveland never posted 20 points in the remaining three quarters and finished the contest with 13 points over the final 12 minutes.

Damian Lillard busted out of his shooting slump with 27 points. He went 6- for-13 from the field, 5-for-10 from long range and 10-for-10 from the foul line.

"It's the same game that I've been playing," said Lillard. "The only difference was the shots just went in. It was pretty simple: just play the game. I thought we did a great job of moving the ball and everybody defended well."

Wes Matthews (21), Robin Lopez (19) and LaMarcus Aldridge (16) finished in double figures.

The Blazers also held the fabled James to just 11 points.

The Mavs won two of three against the Blazers last season and have captured 10 of the last 15 meetings. Dallas is 12-6 in its last 18 in Rose City.