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DALLAS -- Delonte West took Jason Kidds advice, giving the Dallas Mavericks a badly needed late lift. Jeremy Hill . West scored Dallas first six points of the second overtime, and the Mavericks held on for a 97-94 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Saturday night. Dirk Nowitzkis 20 points and Jason Terrys 19 led the Mavs, but West saved them when it mattered most. West started the second OT in place of Kidd after West played only 15 seconds in the first extra session. The Blazers were double-teaming Nowitzki, giving West more room to look for his shot. "J-Kidd told me to go out there and be aggressive because of the way they were playing Dirk," said West, who finished with 10 points. "I sparked my team right there in the second overtime." West hit an 11-footer for Dallas to open the second overtime. West followed with mid-range jumpers on consecutive possessions to give Dallas a 93-89 advantage with 2:55 left. "He was phenomenal," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of West. "The guy stays ready and hes a money player." Former Dallas-area high school star LaMarcus Aldridge had 33 points, and Jamal Crawford contributed 19 points for the Trail Blazers. Shawn Marion had 14 points and 12 rebounds for Dallas, which won its third in a row. Crawford hit two free throws and Aldridge made a 12-footer with 1:43 remaining in the second extra session to draw Portland even at 93. But Brendan Haywoods tip-in with 45 seconds remaining in the second overtime gave Dallas a 95-93 edge. Crawford missed from 15 feet, and Nowitzki swished a 15-foot fadeaway with 16.9 seconds left in the second OT despite Aldridges tight defence for a 97-93 lead. "I do feel good about my defence," Aldridge said. "(Nowitzki) couldnt see the basket half the time." Wes Matthews made one of two free throws with 11.4 seconds remaining, Portland got the rebound of the second miss, but Crawfords desperation 26-footer failed to hit the rim as final buzzer sounded. Both teams were on the second leg of back-to-backs and wore down as the game wore on. Dallas won on Friday night at Minnesota 104-97, while Portland defeated New Orleans on the road 94-86. Portlands Nicolas Batum made a 20-footer from the corner to open the first overtime, and Crawfords layup with 3:42 left gave his team an 85-83 lead. Nowitzki made a 17-footer, Marion hit a layup with 1:08 remaining in the first overtime, and Marion converted two free throws with 37.3 seconds left to put Dallas in front 87-85. Aldridge rolled in an 11-foot jump-hook with 23.9 seconds left in the first overtime to tie it at 87, Nowitzki missed from 13 feet with three seconds left, and the game went to a second overtime. Portland rallied from an 18-point first-half deficit, with Aldridge scoring 15 fourth-quarter points. "I started out kind of slow," Aldridge said. "I was trying to get it going." Crawfords layup with 54 seconds remaining in regulation got Portland within 81-79, and Nowitzkis miss from 21 feet with 32 seconds left gave Portland a shot at tying the game. Aldridges 15-foot turnaround with 12 seconds left in regulation drew Portland even at 81. The Blazers got off to a sluggish start, missing 12 of their first 17 field goal attempts as the Mavs surged to an 18-10 lead behind Nowitzkis eight points. The Mavs led at halftime, 43-32 on the strength of 18-of-36 shooting from the floor and 12 points from Nowitzki. At the break, Portland coach Nate McMillan stressed to his players the importance of a more physical second-half defensive effort. "We didnt do that in the first and I thought we scrapped and put up a fight the second half and fought our way back into the game," McMillan said. NOTES: Dallas has taken 22 of the past 29 regular-season meetings between the teams. Dallas and Portland met for the first time since the Mavericks won a six-game series in the opening round of last seasons Western Conference playoffs. The Mavs went on to capture their first NBA title. ... Portlands 14 points in the first quarter were its low opening quarter this season. ... Portland C Marcus Camby took a charging foul from Dallas Lamar Odom with 5:43 left in the second quarter and sustained a right ankle injury. Camby was in the locker room for the rest of the second quarter, opened the third quarter, but lasted only six minutes and was done for the night. Giovani Bernard Bengals Jersey . Louis Blues return to top spot in the TSN. George Iloka Jersey ., native Andrew Wiggins wasnt around a year ago for one of the worst nights in Kansas basketball history.Toronto, ON - As the puck drops on the race for Number One in the 2012 NHL Entry Draft, TSN Hockey Insider Bob McKenzie unveils his first draft ranking of the new season in the 30-minute special Bob McKenzies Pre-Season NHL Draft Rankings, Thursday at 7:30pm et/4:30pm pt on TSN. Bob McKenzies Pre-Season NHL Draft Rankings will also be available on-demand at TSN.ca. McKenzie is joined by host James Duthie in the TSN Studio as he lists his Top 10 prospects and honourable mentions. Bob McKenzies Pre-Season NHL Draft Rankings also includes analysis from TSN Scout Craig Button, a feature on Sarnia Stting prospects Nail Yakupov and Alex Galchenyuk, and an interview with Red Deer Rebels defenceman Mathew Dumba - captain of Team Canada at last months Ivan Hlinka Memorial Tournament. Wallace Gilberry. Bob McKenzies Pre-Season NHL Draft Rankings is complemented on TSN.ca with additional insight and analysis by McKenzie, along with his complete Top 10 prospects list. Hockey fans can also get the inside scoop on the 2012 NHL Entry Draft by following McKenzie on Twitter. TSN will have exclusive live coverage of the 2012 NHL Draft Lottery in April and the 2012 NHL Entry Draft in June. ' ' ' |
