RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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 GAME FLOW
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) -- Without two key players, the Portland
Trail Blazers won with strong defense and contributions from role
players -- along with another terrific game from Rasheed Wallace.
|  | | Portland's Rasheed Wallace shoots over Loy Vaught Thursday night. |
Wallace scored 28 points and Steve Smith added 19 as the
Portland Trail Blazers slowed the Dallas Mavericks' fast start with
a 95-84 victory Thursday night.
The Blazers were without center Arvydas Sabonis, who sprained
his left knee in Tuesday night's 105-93 loss to Seattle, and
reserve guard Bonzi Wells, who served a one-game suspension for
bumping and verbally abusing an official against the Sonics.
"We were a little shorthanded, but we stepped it up a notch,"
said Dale Davis, who had six rebounds.
Wallace came off the bench for the first time this season after
skipping shootaround to attend to personal matters. The absence was
excused, coach Mike Dunleavy said, and Wallace entered the game
2:05 into the first quarter.
Stacey Augmon started in Wallace's place, and played so well
Dunleavy left him in for most of the game. He had eight points and
eight rebounds in a season-high 29 minutes.
"Stacey came in and did a great job for us," Dunleavy said.
"He was very active with his hands, shipped in with some rebounds
and scored some points."
Rookie Courtney Alexander scored 20 points, six more than his
previous season high, to lead the Mavericks, who had won two
straight. Their 10-5 start tied for the second-best in franchise
history.
Even with the loss, Dallas has won 19 of its last 26 games
dating to April 2 of last season. Only the Philadelphia 76ers have
a better record during that span, going 18-5.
Dirk Nowitzki added 17 points and nine rebounds and Steve Nash
added 16 points. Michael Finley had 10 points on 5-of-17 shooting
and was held scoreless in the second half.
"We concentrated on him," Smith said. "Scottie (Pippen),
myself, Stacey -- we were trying to make sure we knew where he was
at. And he missed some shots he usually makes."
Dallas' top three scorers -- Finley, Nowitzki and Nash -- combined
to make just 14 of 38 shots.
"Normally one or two -- and sometimes all of them -- are on at
the same time," said coach Del Harris, filling in for Don Nelson.
"It's tough to win when we don't have one of them having a little
better than average game."
Nelson stayed in Dallas to have a biopsy of his enlarged
prostate and was "upbeat" after doctors found no abnormalities,
Harris said. Nelson was expected to rejoin the team for Saturday
night's game at Golden State.
The Mavs weren't at full strength on the floor, either. Guard
Hubert Davis, sixth in the league in 3-point percentage, sat out
with a strained left groin.
The injury problems got worse when Nowitzki banged his left knee
in a collision with Davis two minutes into the third quarter. By
the time he returned, with 2:49 to go in the period, the Blazers
had increased their lead from six points to eight.
Portland slowly pulled away, however. A 22-foot jumper by Shawn
Kemp, who had a strong performance, made it 79-68 entering the
fourth quarter.
After Wallace's jumper extended the lead to 13 early in the
fourth, the Blazers went more than 3½ minutes without a basket. But
Dallas couldn't capitalize. Wallace scored seven of the Blazers'
next nine points, including a slam on a pass from Pippen, to make
it 90-77 with 2:28 left.
Dallas was hitting from the outside early on and took a
five-point lead. The Blazers responded with a 13-0 run, converting
easy fast-break baskets as the Mavericks missed seven straight
shots.
Finley hit his first four shots of the second quarter, and a
dunk by Shawn Bradley tied it at 33. Alexander gave the Mavs a big
lift, scoring 11 points in the period.
Portland pulled away in the last few minutes before halftime,
and a 3-pointer by Greg Anthony at the horn gave the Blazers a
52-45 lead.
"They didn't play with a lot of energy," Damon Stoudamire
said. "They looked like, after they didn't hit a couple shots, it
wasn't going to be their night. We were able to stay on top of them
and not give them any chance."
Game
notes
Kemp had eight points and six rebounds with only one foul
in 17 minutes. ... the Mavericks had their three-game road winning
streak stopped. The team had won five of its first seven on the
road, the best start since going 6-1 in 1987. ... after committing
a season-low five turnovers in Tuesday night's 14-point win over
Toronto, the Mavs had 19.
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NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Portland Clubhouse
RECAPS
Chicago 91
Atlanta 82
Milwaukee 108
Boston 97
Houston 109
Denver 105
Portland 95
Dallas 84
Seattle 121
LA Lakers 88
Golden State 99
Indiana 95
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