National Basketball Association
Dallas 126, Portland 97
When: 8:30 PM ET, Wednesday, January 3, 2024
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas, Texas
Officials: #71 Rodney Mott, #54 Ray Acosta, #21 Dedric Taylor
Attendance: 20077

Luka Doncic scored a game-high 41 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a 126-97 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night in Dallas.

Kyrie Irving added 29 points for the Mavericks, who rebounded from a season-worst 37-point loss to the host Utah Jazz on Monday. Tim Hardaway Jr. netted 14 points and Jaden Hardy chipped in 11 points as Dallas never trailed en route to its third win in as many tries against Portland this season.

Shaedon Sharpe paced the Trail Blazers with 16 points, and Anfernee Simons followed with 15. Matisse Thybulle scored 12 points for Portland, which has dropped the first two contests of its seven-game road trip. Jerami Grant and Toumani Camara each finished with 10 points.

The Mavericks started the game on a 9-0 run, beginning the onslaught they inflicted all night. Dallas used a 38-15 second-quarter run to match its largest first-half lead at 75-44.

Doncic then completed an and-one opportunity to give him 30 first-half points on 9-for-14 shooting from the floor, and gave Dallas its 31-point halftime advantage at 78-47. Irving complemented Doncic's scoring with 22 points in the half, as Dallas shot 26-for-42 (61.9 percent) from the floor.

Portland, which struggled to find a rhythm throughout, made just 16-of-41 shots (39 percent) from the floor and committed 14 turnovers in the first half. Sharpe and Simons led the Trail Blazers with 11 points apiece.

The Trail Blazers were more competitive after the break, outscoring Dallas 27-24 in the third quarter, but they entered the fourth quarter trailing 102-74.

A pair of free throws from Mavericks rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper gave Dallas its largest lead of the game, 118-80, with 5:56 left in the game.

Simons returned to the Trail Blazers lineup after a three-game absence due to an illness. The sixth-year shooting guard entered Wednesday averaging a team-high 27.1 points per game.

Wednesday was the front half of a two-game series in Dallas, with the teams to meet again on Friday.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Portland   Dallas
Shaedon Sharpe 16 Scoring Luka Doncic 41
Scoot Henderson 7 Assists Luka Doncic 5
Toumani Camara 5 Rebounds Kyrie Irving 9
Anfernee Simons 4 Free Throws Made Luka Doncic 11
Toumani Camara 2 Steals Josh Green 2
Ibou Badji 2 Blocks Dereck Lively II 3
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Portland 97 39.1 13-40 16-22 23 46 3 4 22
Dallas 126 50.0 13-30 29-41 25 43 7 12 12
Upcoming Games
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against Portland. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .500 after a win and .667 after a loss.
  • Portland will play their next game on the road against Dallas. The Trail Blazers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .250 after a loss.