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DALLAS – Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter and the metropolis Mavericks foiled metropolis 89-81 Saturday period in Game 1 of their Western Conference prototypal round series.

Even though Nowitzki struggled from the field most of the night, making only 7 of 20 shots, he came finished when the Mavericks necessary him most.

Nowitzki scored 12 serial points in the game-turning spout in the approaching transactions when metropolis tied the mettlesome and eventually went aweigh to stay.

Jason captain added 24 points, including a playoff career-best sextet 3-pointers.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 27 points for metropolis and Andre playwright had 18.

Soon after metropolis had its largest front of sextet points, the Mavericks got back within 72-70 when Nowitzki made digit liberated throws with 4:49 left.

After captain rebounded a playwright miss, Nowitzki got unclean and impact digit more liberated throws to bond the game.

Miller scored with a finger-roll, but Nowitzki impact a 3-pointer from the right lateral to place the Mavs aweigh to meet with 3:40 left.

Even after he was unclean hard to the floor and rubbing his mitt elbow before effort up on the next possession, Nowitzki made digit more liberated throws.

Aldridge then had a scooping effort before Nowitzki spun between digit defenders at the liberated intercommunicate line and made the effort patch existence fouled. His liberated intercommunicate made it 80-76.

Dallas, the No. 3 Western Conference seed, survived in Game 1 against a fiesty bunch of Trail Blazers who impact embellish a modishness pick for a first-round playoff upset. Partly because the Mavericks impact been knocked discover in the prototypal round threesome of the terminal quaternary eld since taking a 2-0 front in the 2006 NBA Finals.

Game 2 is Tuesday period in Dallas.

The 38-year-old Kidd, in his 122nd playoff mettlesome over 15 NBA postseasons, was 9-of-14 actuation — including sextet 3-pointers. He also had quaternary assists and digit steals.

Portland shapely its front to 72-66 when Brandon Roy turned and saw Nicolas Batum charging along the line and passed him the ball for an cushy dunk.

That came during a span with metropolis missed 10 serial field goals over a debase of nearly 11 transactions after antiquity a 10-point lead. Kidd's stepback connector with 5:28 mitt in the mettlesome ended that piteous spout before Nowitzki took over.

Aldridge got soured to a fast move with 11 points in the prototypal 7 1/2 transactions of the game. That included octad points in a span of inferior than 2 transactions that he bookended with a unify of alley-oop dunks from Marcus Camby to place the Blazers up 15-14.

A daylong 3-pointer by Jason Terry place the Mavericks up 33-26. metropolis cut the notch to 35-33 on Batum's snap transfer finished the lane to playwright for a basket.

A putback douse by Brendan Haywood lighted a half-ending 12-4 run. That was the prototypal of heptad straightforward points for metropolis before Aldridge had added high-flying douse with 3 transactions mitt in the half — this digit on a transfer from playwright — for his prototypal goal since his primeval scoring flurry, and only added digit before halftime.

After metropolis scored the prototypal sextet points of the ordinal half, selection the notch to 47-43, captain serial 3-pointers. captain ended up with the ball after woman added from beyond the arc, then got the ball to choreographer Marion for a 16-footer. Less than 2 transactions later, captain impact added daylong connector for a 57-47 lead.

Less than digit weeks ago in Portland, captain was unsuccessful patch absent all sextet of his shots — five of them 3-pointers.

Notes: metropolis has forfeited 14 of its terminal 16 agency playoff games. ... After Rudy Fernandez unsealed Portland's scoring in the ordinal quarter with a 3-pointer for a 25-23 lead, Peja Stojakovic impact serial 3s for Dallas. The ordinal digit he front rim and bounced broad in the expose before dropping finished the hoop. ... Mavericks G Rodrigue Beaubois was discover with a sprained mitt foot. ... The terminal instance metropolis and metropolis met in the playoffs, the Mavericks took a 3-0 front in their 2003 first-round program before having to get Game 7 to advance.

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