Strong third quarter propels Mavs past Blazers

Luka Doncic scored 33 points and Christian Wood added a season-high 32 points and 12 rebounds as the Dallas Mavericks used a dominant third quarter to beat the visiting Portland Trail Blazers 130-110 on Friday. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 17 points and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 13 for Dallas, which led by nine at the half before outscoring the Blazers 38-22 in the third quarter. Doncic added six rebounds and nine assists. Damian Lillard led Portland with 24 points, while Trendon Watford tallied 16 points, 11 rebounds and six assists off the bench. Jusuf Nurkic also chipped in 16 points, Keon Johnson added 13, and Shaedon Sharpe had 10. Dallas led by as many as 27 in the second half and snapped the Blazers' three-game winning streak while shooting 55.6 percent from the field and 18 of 43 (41.9 percent) from 3-point range. Doncic has scored at least 20 points in a franchise-record 36 straight games for Dallas, which led 95-70 after opening the third quarter on a 23-7 run. The three-time All-Star punctuated the third-quarter surge with a tomahawk dunk to put the Mavericks ahead 104-79 with 2:54 left. Portland, which has split the first two games of its six-game road trip, rested its starters for the entire fourth quarter after Dallas began the period with a 110-85 lead. Lillard was 6 of 14 shooting after averaging 34.4 points over his previous five games. Dallas has won its last six meetings against the Blazers, including a 117-112 victory on Nov. 12. Portland led throughout the first quarter and held a 32-31 advantage before Dallas opened the second quarter on a 15-2 run to move ahead 46-34. Doncic led the Mavericks in the first half with 23 points, while Wood added 20. Lilliard had 21 for the Blazers. Dallas forward Dwight Powell exited the game in the second quarter with a left thigh contusion and did not return. The Mavericks played without Josh Green (right elbow sprain) and Maxi Kleber, who is out indefinitely after suffering a tear of his right hamstring on Tuesday. --Field Level Media