Dec 1, 2015; Portland, OR, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Deron Williams (8) shoots the ball over Portland Trail Blazers forward Meyers Leonard (11) during overtime at Moda Center at the Rose Quarter. The Mavericks won 115-112. Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
PORTLAND, Ore. — Guard Deron Williams scored nine of his season-high 30 points in overtime as the Dallas Mavericks stole a 115-112 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night at the Moda Center.
Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki collected 23 points, seven rebounds and six assists. Center Zaza Pachulia had 14 points and tied his career high with 21 rebounds for Dallas, which trailed by seven points with 1:40 to go in regulation.
Guard Damian Lillard totaled 25 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds, and forward Meyers Leonard scored a season-high 23 points for the Trail Blazers (7-12).
Williams began the overtime with five straight points to give Dallas (11-8) a 101-96 lead.
Portland guard CJ McCollum sank a trey to cut the difference to 101-99, but Nowitzki answered with a short jumper to make it 103-99.
The teams traded baskets, and when Williams knocked down a 3-pointer, the Mavericks led 108-101 with 40.6 seconds left, and it was all but over.
Guard Gerald Henderson came off the bench for 12 second-quarter points as Portland seized a 52-50 edge at intermission. Henderson finished the night with 20. Nowitzki scored 13 first-half points, and Pachulia had 10 points and 13 rebounds before the break.
The Blazers opened the third quarter with an 11-2 run that increased their advantage to 63-52. The Mavericks responded with a 22-8 spurt to go ahead 74-71, and they carried a 74-73 lead into the final period.
Portland pushed the edge to 89-79 midway through the quarter. Back-to-back threes by guard Wesley Matthews cut the margin to 89-85.
Leonard’s 3-pointer gave the Blazers a 92-85 lead, but Williams answered with a runner that cut it to 92-87 with 3:04 remaining.
Forward Ed Davis made two free throws to hike Portland’s advantage to 94-87, but Williams scored on a layup to make it 94-89 with 2:17 left. Leonard sank a pair at the line for a 96-89 lead with 1:43 to go.
Matthews scored on a rebound basket to trim the difference to 96-91 with 1:14 remaining.
Nowitzki brought Dallas within 96-94 on a 3-pointer with 47 seconds to play, then scored on a tip-in to tie the count at 96-96 with six seconds on the clock. Lillard’s 3-point try at the buzzer bounced off the rim, and it was on to overtime.
NOTES: Dallas G Wesley Matthews, who spent the previous five years with the Trail Blazers, played before the Portland fans for the first time since signing a four-year, $70 million contract with the Mavericks last summer. … Portland G Damian Lillard, who played only 17 minutes in Saturday’s 102-87 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, started, “though he’s not 100 percent,” coach Terry Stotts said. … Portland F Ed Davis has four double-doubles this season, tied with Oklahoma City’s Enes Kanter for most by a reserve player in the league. … Dallas G J.J. Barea (ankle) missed his third straight game and F Chandler Parsons (knee) also sat out. … The teams entered the game each averaging 100 points.
