Trail Blazers Hold Off Mavericks as Avdija Nears Triple-Double.

PORTLAND, Ore. — Deni Avdija came close to recording a triple-double with 27 points, 11 assists, and nine rebounds, while Shaedon Sharpe contributed 24 points, as the Portland Trail Blazers defeated the Dallas Mavericks 125-122 on Monday night. Bench player Caleb Love also scored 24 points for Portland, making six 3-pointers and sinking the go-ahead free throws with less than a minute remaining. Klay Thompson’s potential game-tying 3-point attempt at the buzzer fell short, allowing Portland to maintain a narrow victory despite nearly losing a 17-point lead. Max Christie led Dallas with 25 points, followed by Brandon Williams with 22. Cooper Flagg added 15 points, eight assists, and six rebounds. The fourth quarter was tightly contested, with the lead changing hands eight times. Portland had a 95-84 advantage with 1:30 remaining in the third quarter before Dallas mounted a 9-2 run, including a running three-pointer by Thompson with 0.7 seconds left to make it 97-93. Thompson then tied the game at 99 on a three-pointer with 9:35 remaining. Christie gave the Mavericks their first lead of the second half at 106-105 with a three-pointer with 6:56 left in the game.

Dallas briefly led by four, but Avdija’s layup and Love’s three-pointer put Portland ahead 118-117 with 2½ minutes remaining. Christie’s three-pointer later gave Dallas a 122-121 lead with 1:09 remaining, but the Mavericks failed to score again. Love converted two free throws with 53.2 seconds left, Naji Marshall missed two attempts from beyond the arc, and Sharpe added two free throws in the final three seconds to seal the 125-122 victory.

Earlier, Portland had pushed its lead to 17 points multiple times in the second quarter and took a 75-63 lead into halftime. Portland will face the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday, while Dallas hosts the Philadelphia 76ers on Thursday.