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Rapid fire: Late rally falls short as Trail Blazers top Mavericks

PORTLAND, OR - MARCH 23: Wesley Matthews #23 of the Dallas Mavericks during the game against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 23, 2016 at the Moda Center in Portland, Oregon. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this Photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. Mandatory Copyright Notice: Copyright 2016 NBAE (Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)

(Photo by Cameron Browne/NBAE via Getty Images)

 

It was too little, too late for the Mavericks on Wednesday night.

 

Despite a 12-2 run in the final three minutes, Dallas (35-36) was not able to overcome as much as a 16-point Portland lead, falling 109-103.

 

Dirk Nowitzki, who turned back the clock on Sunday against the Trail Blazers (37-35) by scoring 40 points in an overtime win, did his best to replicate the performance. He scored 12 points in the fourth quarter and finished the game with 21 points. Wesley Matthews led the Mavericks in scoring with 22 points and had one of his best outing in recent memory against his former team.

 

Below .500 again:

 

The loss drops the Mavericks below the .500 mark for the second time in a week. Dallas has not flirted with a record like this since the 2012 season when it missed the playoffs.

 

Tightly contested:

 

The Houston Rockets blew an 18-point lead to the Utah Jazz, thereby giving Gordon Hayward & Co. the eighth seed in the West. With the loss to Portland, Dallas sits in the seventh slot, with the Trail Blazers in sixth and the Rockets at ninth on the outside looking in.

 

Missing in action:

 

Chandler Parsons is not with the team on its four-game road trip and is exploring a second option for what appears to be a torn meniscus in his right knee. Early reports indicate an MRI revealed his hamstring tightness, retroactive to the Golden State game last week, was in actuality a meniscus tear. Surgery would require Parsons to miss the remaining of the deal, as the 6-10 forward is expected to opt out of his contract this summer.

 

Next up: Dallas takes on Golden State at Oracle Arena on Friday, March 25. Tipoff is set for 9:30 p.m. CST

I'm a 20-year-old college student attending the University of North Texas and majoring in Sports Journalism. I was born and raised in DFW and grew up a die-hard Cowboys, Rangers, Stars and of course, Mavericks fan. Ever since I was a little kid, probably around the 1st or 2nd grade, I have loved watching professional sports, especially basketball. Every week we would do a creative writing assignment and mine would be a story about a Mavericks game. Fast forward 15 years and here I am, trying to make a living with something I grew up loving. That's really all you need to know about me. Oh, and Dez caught the ball.

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