Doncic’s 21 points lead Mavs past Trail Blazers 111-102
By DAVE JACKSON
DALLAS (AP) _ Luka Doncic scored 21 points and Wesley Matthews added 17 as the Dallas Mavericks won for the ninth time in 11 games, beating the Portland Trail Blazers 111-102 Tuesday night.
DeAndre Jordan added 12 points and 17 rebounds for Dallas, which won its eighth straight at home for the first time since its championship season of 2010-11.
Doncic, who missed his first game Sunday with a right hip strain, scored 14 in the second half and finished with nine rebounds.
Damian Lillard scored 25 of his 33 points in the second half as Portland tried, but failed, to rally from a deficit that was mostly double digits through almost all the first three quarters. Lillard and C.J. McCollum struggled from the field, going 17 for 42, and 4 for 15 from 3-point range.
The Mavericks closed out the first quarter with a 17-3 run and held a double-digit lead until Lillard’s drive and free throw made it 78-69 late in the third.
But Dwight Powell hit consecutive 3-pointers and Maxi Kleber followed a Devin Harris miss with a dunk to put Dallas up by 14 after three quarters.
J.J. Barea’s driving layup capped a 10-0 run that gave the Mavericks their biggest lead at 92-73. Portland got as close as six points in the game’s final minutes, but Doncic hit a fall-away 3-pointer with 58.9 seconds to go for a 108-99 lead.
The teams are going in opposite directions in the competitive Western Conference. While Dallas has heated up, Portland has lost eight of its last 11.
Matthews and Harris made 3s and Jordan and Dennis Smith Jr. converted three-point plays during the big first-quarter run. The 34-20 deficit was Portland’s largest after one quarter this season. Dallas maintained the double-digit lead throughout the second quarter and took a 60-45 lead into halftime.
TIP INS
Trail Blazers: Lillard scored the Blazers’ final 15 points of the third quarter. . Portland’s frustration became evident in the third quarter when Al-Farouq Aminu and Maurice Harkless were given technical fouls 35 seconds apart for arguing with referee Ed Malloy.
Mavericks: Smith had a root canal performed Monday to fix a broken tooth suffered Sunday night after the Clippers’ Patrick Beverley caught him with an elbow. Smith used an Invisalign device to hold the tooth in place when he returned to the game Sunday. . Barea needed four stitches to close a laceration inside his mouth following a collision with LA’s Avery Bradley on Sunday.
DONCIC HONORED
Doncic was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November. Doncic started the team’s first 20 games and averaged a team-high 18.5 points. He’s second on the team in rebounds and assists.
“It means a lot,” Doncic said. “It’s just another example for me to keep working hard and keep fighting for what I want. There’s a lot to improve.”
The last Dallas player to be selected Rookie of the Month _ and the only one since 2004 _ was Yogi Ferrell in February 2017.
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: Host Phoenix on Thursday.
Mavericks: Second half of a back-to-back Wednesday at New Orleans.
Mitchell nets 20, Gobert adds 18 as Jazz beat Spurs 139-105
By MATTHEW COLES
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) _ Donovan Mitchell scored 20 points and Rudy Gobert had 18 points and 10 rebounds as the Utah Jazz defeated the San Antonio Spurs 139-105 Tuesday night.
Kyle Korver scored 15 points in his first home game since he returned to the Jazz, and Derrick Favors added 14 points as Utah won for the first time at home in nearly a month. The Jazz beat Boston 123-115 on Nov. 9, but have been on the road much of the season and haven’t found a rhythm at home.
Jakob Poeltl scored a career-high 20 points for the Spurs. DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge each scored 16 points for San Antonio, which fell to 1-13 when Aldridge fails to reach the 20-point mark.
The Spurs cut their deficit to 67-53 early in the third quarter, but less than three minutes later Mitchell and Ingles hit back-to-back 3-pointers and the Jazz moved out to an 84-59 advantage.
The Jazz haven’t been cashing in on their 3-point chances this season.
Utah traded Alec Burks and two second-round draft picks to Cleveland for Korver, who made his first home appearance to a loud ovation. Korver, who played for the Jazz from 2007-10, shot 3 of 4 from beyond the arc, and scored 15 points in 15 minutes, helping to space the floor for his teammates.
Utah had season bests in shooting from inside (60.7 percent) and outside the arc (60.6 percent) as they scored 139 points for the first time this season.
The Jazz improved to 3-6 at home. No team has played as many road games as the Jazz, who have gone 9-7 away from Salt Lake City.
RUDY IS JUST FINE
The NBA fined Gobert $15,000 for publicly criticizing the officiating after his team’s 102-100 loss to the Heat on Sunday in Miami.
Gobert fouled Heat guard Dwyane Wade with 3.2 seconds left in the game, and the guard’s two free throws gave Miami the win.
“I just want it to be consistent at one point. … If you call something one way, you have to call it the other way,” Gobert said after the loss.
Before the game against the Spurs, Utah coach Quin Snyder offered to split the fine with his center _ just this once.
Gobert, who had three blocks and changed several Spurs’ shots, played aggressively from the start and didn’t engage the officials all game.
TIP-INS
Spurs: The lack of aggressiveness showed as the Spurs attempted only six free throws through three quarters. … Poeltl, who played collegiately at Utah, made his first six field goal attempts. … The Spurs managed just two fast-break points to Utah’s 13.
Jazz: In the third quarter, Ingles tried to lob a pass to Gobert and swished it from 22 feet. … Utah had 38 assist on 51 baskets. … The Jazz went 17 for 20 from the free-throw line, their best mark since the third game of the season.
UP NEXT
Spurs: Visit the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night.
Jazz: Host the Houston Rockets on Thursday.