Trail Blazers vs Mavericks Saturday, 04/16/11 AT 06:30PM

Portland Aims To Knot Up Series

04/18/11

  1. Written by: Grant Lucas  / avg. rating: 5.0

    With Game 2 of the NBA Playoffs looming, the Portland Trail Blazers (0-1) will look for a different outcome than what the series opener had in store against the Dallas Mavericks (1-0) at American Airlines Center on Tuesday night. Tipoff is scheduled for 6:30 PM.

    Projected to start for the Trail Blazers are Gerald Wallace, LaMarcus Aldridge, Marcus Camby, Wesley Matthews and Andre Miller.

    Aldridge and Miller carried most of the load for Portland, notching 27 and 18 points, respectively, as well as six boards for Aldridge and a game-high six assists for Miller. Nicolas Batum came off the bench with 14 points and Camby hauled in a game-high 18 rebounds, as Portland was able to pound its way to a 46-18 advantage in the paint, outscoring Dallas 30-2 in that area in the second half.

    The Trail Blazers held Dallas to 40.9 percent shooting in Game 1 and led by six points midway through the fourth quarter after erasing a 10-point deficit, but the Mavericks hit 18 free throws in the fourth quarter en route to a 23-9 run to close out and seal an 89-81 win.

    Dirk Nowitzki made 13 of those foul shots, tallying 18 of his game-high 28 points in the deciding period, despite shooting just 7-for-20 from the field all night. As Nowitzki also collected 10 rebounds, Jason Kidd emerged with 24 points, sinking a playoff career-best six three-pointers. Jason Terry added 10 points off the bench.

    Dallas did it from three-point range as well, as the Mavericks buried 10 of their 19 three-point attempts, compared to Portland's 2-for-16 mark from beyond the arc.

    Game 2 takes place in Dallas, where Aldridge has had the most success on the road. In two games at American Airlines Center, Aldridge averaged 31.5 points and 10 boards, but Dallas came up victorious in those two meetings while the two matchups at the Rose Garden went to the Trail Blazers.

    Each of four game between these clubs were decided by eight points or fewer, with the Trail Blazers posting the largest margin of victory in the series finale 104-96.

    Although the Mavericks hit 51 percent of their shots in the season series, the Trail Blazers held a 45-28 advantage in offensive rebounding, allowing Portland to outscore the opposition 55-48 on second-chance points. Not only that, but they were also able to dominate down low, muscling their way to a 32-point edge in the paint.

    Greg Oden and Elliot Williams are sidelined for the Trail Blazers, as they are out with knee injuries.

    Brian Wheeler and Antonio Harvey will have the call on 95.5 FM The Game. KGW NewsChannel 8 will televise Game 2 with Mike Barrett and Mike Rice at the helm, while TNT will air the matchup nationally.

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