Deni Avdija had 27 points (11 in the first quarter) and 11 assists, and the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Dallas Mavericks 125-122.
Caleb Love’s 2 free throws put the Trail Blazers ahead for good with 53 seconds left in the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks had the ball down 3 after a timeout, but Klay Thompson missed a corner 3-pointer at the buzzer that would have tied it.
During clutch time, the Trail Blazers outscored the Mavericks 16-14. Love scored 8 of the Trail Blazers’ 16 on 2 for 2 shooting and 2 for 2 at the line.
Love scored 24 points with 6 3-pointers off the bench. Shaedon Sharpe added 24 points (14 in the paint), and Donovan Clingan had 18 points and 11 rebounds on 8 for 10 shooting. Love scored 12 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter. The Trail Blazers had 3 20-point scorers.
For the Mavericks, Max Christie scored a season-high 25 points on 8 for 12 shooting, and Brandon Williams added 22 points on 8 for 12 shooting off the bench.
The Trail Blazers grabbed 17 offensive rebounds to the Mavericks’ 8. The Mavericks outscored the Trail Blazers 19-7 on the fast break.