The NBA announced the reserves for the All-Star game. As expected, Dirk Nowitzki was named. Steve Nash was also selected by the Western conference coaches (Don Nelson could not vote for his own players). Michael Finley got the snub. Portland (26-15) at Dallas (34-8) (January 26) Portland scored the first 4 points of the game and then Dallas came on like a house on fire in hitting 6 of 7 shots to score the next 13 points, capped by a 3-pointer by Steve Nash, to go up 13-4 with 8 minutes left. Thanks to free throws, Portland was able to stay in the game despite their poor shooting. Dallas scored the last 5 points of the quarter to go up 31-19 after 1. Dallas shot 70% FG and Portland shot 35% FG, but Portland also shot 7-7 FT while Dallas did not have a single attempt. Michael Finley had 13 points. Dallas took their largest lead at 35-21 with 10 minutes remaining on a putback by Raef LaFrentz, but Portland answered with a 12-2 run to pull within 33-37 with 6 minutes to go. Dallas then scored the next 7 points to retake a double-digit lead at 44-33 with 3:25 remaining. Dallas led 53-41 at the half. Raef LaFrentz had 8 points and 6 rebounds in the quarter. Dallas shot 52% FG and Portland shot 40% FG for the half. And then came the 3rd quarter. 2 different teams came out of halftime. Portland stepped up their defense and physicalness and Dallas looked like it was nap time for them with the early game time. Portland opened the quarter with a 13-4 run to pull within 54-57 with 6:30 left. A 3-pointer by Nick Van Exel gave Dallas a 64-58 lead with 4:15 left, but Dallas would then go scoreless over the next 4 minutes and Portland scored the next 10 points to go up 68-64 with a minute to go. Finley hit a jumper at the buzzer and Portland led 68-66 after 3. Portland out-scored Dallas 27-13 in the quarter. Portland held a single-digit lead for most of the 4th quarter as Dallas was unable to pull even and Portland was unable to pull away. A 3-pointer by LaFrentz pulled Dallas within 80-82 with 5:50 to go, but Portland answered with an 8-2 mini-run to go up 90-82 with 4 minutes left. A 3-pointer by Van Exel pulled Dallas within 88-94 with 1:40 remaining. Portland missed on 2 attempts and Van Exel was fouled shooting a 3-pointer. But he only hit 1 of the 3 with 1:20 to go and Portland led by 5. Scottie Pippen was fouled and hit 1 of 2 free throws and Dirk Nowitzki missed the quick jumper and Derek Anderson was fouled with 54 seconds left. He also hit 1 of 2 free throws and Nash missed the quick jumper and Bonzi Wells was fouled. Wells also only hit 1 of 2 free throws, but it still gave Portland a commanding 97-89 lead with 45 seconds remaining. Nowitzki missed the quick shot after a timeout and that was basically game. Portland won 100-93. It was a tale of 2 halves. Dallas was great in the 1st half and pathetic in the 2nd, and Portland was pretty much the opposite. Dallas shot 52.4% FG including 4-9 3-pointers in the 1st half and shot just 38.2% FG including 4-13 3-pointers in the 2nd half. Portland shot 40% FG including 0-7 3-pointers in the 1st half and 46.7% FG including 4-4 3-pointers in the 2nd half. Dallas out-rebounded Portland 20-18 in the 1st half and Portland out-rebounded Dallas 30-16 in the 2nd half. In addition, Dallas committed 9 turnovers in the 2nd half, including 6 in the 3rd quarter [the team averaged just 11.4 turnovers per game]. The game is 48 minutes long and Dallas looked pathetic in the 3rd quarter and Portland was hustling and looked like they wanted the win more. The hero for Portland was one you would not expect. Dallas succeeded in making Zach Randolph look like a star. He gave Portland nothing in the 1st half (0 points, 2 rebounds) and was a monster in the middle in the 2nd half with 16 points and 4 rebounds including 3 offensive. Scottie Pippen was the high man for Portland with 19 points including 7-10 FG and 5 assists. Bonzi Wells had a double-double with 18 points and a season high 14 rebounds including 5 offensive and 4 steals. Derek Anderson had 17 points and Ruben Patterson had 12 points including 4-15 FG and 7 rebounds as 5 Blazers were in double-digits. Only 1 of the big 3 was on for Dallas. Michael Finley tried to carry the team, but it wasn't enough. Finley had 27 points including 8-10 FG and 5 rebounds. Steve Nash's shot was way off (guess he used up all his circus shots in the New York game) and he only had 15 points including 4-15 FG, but did have 9 assists. Dirk Nowitzki was a big nothing in this game. He only had 13 points - and just 2 in the 2nd half - and 7 rebounds. He looked very hesitant to shoot, yet Nelson kept playing 2 on the side with Nowitzki and Nash during the 4th quarter. The Mavs wasted a great effort by Raef LaFrentz. LaFrentz had 19 points on 8-11 FG and 3-3 3-pointers (did miss his 2 free throw attempts, though), 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks in 32 minutes. Nick Van Exel chipped in 13 points and 4 assists, but also had 4 turnovers in 33 minutes. Shawn Bradley didn't do much in his 24 minutes with 4 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Quotes Maurice Cheeks: "That was a great 2nd half. That was a heck of a game by everyone that came in the game. Everyone played, everyone defended. We switched a few pick-and-rolls [on defense]. We switched a few plays and tried to take them out of their rhythm and it kind of worked." Cheeks on the 2nd half defense: "It wasn't just Ruben. It was Ruben, Zach; I think a lot of guys guarded. It wasn't just one guy; I think a lot of guys defended. It was a great team effort. Everyone that came in tried to defend. Everyone switched and helped out. In the 1st half, we let them get a lot of open shots, particularly in the corner. We tried to stay at home in the corner. We tried to help from down low, and that is what really helped us." Cheeks: "There were times last year if we went to the locker room at halftime down 12, we couldn't regroup. But there have been several games this year where we've come back from being down and still found a way to win. And the more games you win, the more confidence you're going to have in yourself. I believe our confidence is pretty high right now." Bonzi Wells: "We stepped up our defense in the second half and that really got us going. Dallas has the best team in the league right now and we had to adjust to them. We had to step up for the win." Wells on the 2nd half: "We played pretty well. We stepped up our defense and put a lot of pressure on them. We didn't give them the spot-ups that they had in the 1st half. We made them try to put it on the ground and go by us, and that was tough for them." Wells: "We know we can play this type of basketball. Today we just put it on the court. We didn't do it for 48 minutes, but we played pretty good for 24." Wells on defending Nowitzki: "Everyone know Zach had a tough challenge tonight without Rasheed. Zach had to just play him and get up in him, and we helped him out a lot. I think Zach played well against him today." Wells: "Until somebody else has a better record, the Mavericks are the best team. We're still trying to get where we need to be." Scottie Pippen: "On most nights, they are going to shoot the ball very well. Unfortunately for them, they didn't shoot it as well. We did a good job of getting to their shooters and contesting their shots. I thought the matchup worked to their advantage. In the 1st half, they were knocking down shots and catching us on the ropes, and guys were having to close out and they did a good job of getting to the basket as well. In the 2nd half, our defense was much better; we were willing to live with switching and making the guy with the ball have to make the play, and I thought it worked out in our favor." Pippen: This is great for us, especially with the absence of Rasheed. We've responded well and have answered the challenges. We're responding in a way that makes people think of us as a basketball team and not with all that off the court stuff." Derek Anderson on what Cheeks said at halftime: "He told us to come out and be a little more aggressive on both ends and we did that. We started getting in guys' faces on jumpers and it worked for us. It's not like him to get technicals, but that's just part of it." Anderson on Randolph: "I keep telling him, we're so happy to see a guy, to see him grow up. When he was a rookie last year, he couldn't stay on the court that long and withstand all of that, mentally and physically. To see him play like that, man, it was great." Dale Davis: "I thought we won it with defense. In the 4th quarter, we got defensive stops when we needed it." Davis: "Rasheed is still our bread and butter guy. So for other guys like Zach to step up when he is out just shows the character of our team and make us that much better when Rasheed returns." Zach Randolph: "I wasn't real aggressive in the 1st half. I only took 2 shots. Coach got me going kind of early [in the 3rd]. He started out with a play for me. I came out aggressive and played hard." Randolph: "Coming out, I didn't really do anything in the 1st half so I knew I had to come out and play hard, play defense and worry about Dirk. Defense was the big part." Don Nelson: "It was a very disappointing 2nd half for us. I really give them a lot of credit. I thought it helped that there weren't many fouls called in the game for long periods of time. They were more physical for us. They stepped up defensively and we couldn't do very much to get a basket in the 3rd period. I had my best players in the game and I thought they defended us very well. They're a hot team. This is their 4th straight road win. We knew coming in that it would be a tough ball game. Their length and physicality definitely hurt us. It was a disappointing game for us, but we will get over it and carry on. We are taking tomorrow off. It seems like we have been on the road forever. Often times, when you come home and play a game after an extended road series you don't play as well as you hope. I think they really deserve a lot of credit. We had no answer to their defense, their length, and their ability to guard us." Nelson: "Between free throws and not turning the ball over, those are 2 areas we dominate the league. It adds to many wins. This one, we missed our free throws. We were trying to make them, but they didn't go in." Nelson on Randolph: "He has a really good low post game. We did a good job on him until the 2nd half. He got some openings, but mostly second shots. They dominated us on the boards. They were physical down there. They won the push and pull game. They are usually going to win that game. Our asset is our shooting and our ability to play the offensive end and hold our own on the defensive end. When our offense struggled, we had no answer for their 2nd shot, which they got way too many." Nelson on Pippen playing point guard: "I think that is what has turned their team around. Since deciding that he is their guy, he has had a great year. We always thought that they were the best team when he was playing that position. Most point guards have trouble guarding him and he can guard them easily with his length. He is one of the longest 2 guards to ever play and he can easily go over to the 1 guard. He can guard Nash and stay a distance away from him and change our screen and roll and do a lot of creative defensive things that most teams can't do. They really gave us fits." Nelson on Portland: "I think that those of us that know have them right up there with the other big boys. I have always talked about Portland in the same breath as our own team. With the exception of Sacramento who is better than all of us, I think the rest of us are in that next grouping. With Wallace out, they have kind of regrouped and tightened everything up and probably has helped them in the long run." Michael Finley: "I think from a mental standpoint the 1st half was easy for us. We got whatever we wanted offensively. Defensively, we pretty much dictated the game. I think that hurt us a little bit because we got relaxed. As soon as we got relaxed they picked up the aggression and as a result took the momentum in the 2nd half." Finley: "We knew this was a big game for us, not only because it was Portland, but we wanted to get back on the right track. We found something good on the road and we wanted to keep it rolling. We wanted to come into today and keep that winning streak going. The 1st half was the way we wanted to play; the 2nd half, we went back to our old ways defensively. We learn from this and move on and hopefully this situation will never happen again." Dirk Nowitzki: "The 2nd half was just unusual. Balls were bouncing their way, we were missing free throws ... the whole offense wasn't clicking for us." Nowitzki: "I thought it was 2 completely different halves. All of a sudden, I don't know what it was. We came out in the 2nd half and nothing worked." Steve Nash: "They did a good job of containing us in the 3rd quarter. We really had poor spacing in the lane. We weren't able to penetrate with the bad spacing. We did a bad job defensively." Nash: "They did a good job defending us in the 3rd quarter. They got a lot of bounces, but they probably deserved a lot of them. We've got to find a way to win even when we're not getting the bounces, and even when we're not making shots, we've got to be smarter." Nash: "They did a good job taking us to the basket. They did a good job of penetrating and getting inside our defense." Nash: "They did a great job when the referees stopped blowing their whistles. They really pounced on it and got more aggressive. We were still trying to play a game that was more typical where the whistle gets blown. We should have picked up on that earlier." Reaf LaFrentz: "I think they stepped up their defense. That is the bottom line. We weren't getting any easy looks or any of the easy looks that we got in the 1st half. With turnovers, they got their break and offense going. At that point we couldn't get the momentum going." LaFrentz: "They were aggressive to start the 2nd half and made what we were trying to do more difficult. We weren't getting easy looks and weren't in sync offensively." LaFrentz: "They are always a dangerous team. They are a very talented and good team since I have been in the league. When they get Rasheed back they will be even better." LaFrentz on the 3rd quarter: "The intensity was there. It's our job to come out and make sure we are bringing something to the table. We probably weren't as flat as we looked. They really stepped up the defensive pressure. In the 1st half, we were getting transition buckets. Credit them for making the adjustments." Raja Bell on the physicalness of the game: "I think somebody even got bit out there a couple of times." Bell: "I don't think I've seen us get manhandled like they did to us. They were bullying us." Portland Trailblazers 100, Dallas Mavericks 93 at Dallas (January 26) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Portland 19 22 27 32 - 100 .446 .364 .435 .759 Dallas 31 22 13 27 - 93 .500 .364 .461 .652 Halftime: Dallas 53-41 3rd Q: Portland 68-66 Technicals: Maurice Cheeks 0:33 2nd, Raef LaFrentz 9:18 2nd, Don Nelson 1:27 3rd, Dale Davis 0:58 3rd, Shawn Bradley 0:59 3rd Refs: Steve Javie, Tim Donaghy, Tony Brown Attendance: 19,765 (sellout) Did not play due to injury: Rasheed Wallace (suspended) Portland Trailblazers REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Bonzi Wells 38 7-16 0-1 4-6 18 5-14 3 3 5 4 0 Zach Randolph 28 6-12 0-0 4-4 16 3-6 2 1 4 1 1 Dale Davis 31 4-10 0-0 0-0 8 3-6 1 0 1 0 1 Derek Anderson 32 5-9 4-5 3-5 17 1-2 2 2 2 0 0 Scottie Pippen 36 7-10 0-0 5-7 19 1-4 5 4 2 3 2 Antonio Daniels 8 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 1-1 0 0 0 0 0 Ruben Patterson 28 4-15 0-2 4-4 12 3-7 1 0 3 2 0 Jeff McInnis 15 3-7 0-0 1-2 7 1-5 1 0 2 0 0 Arvydas Sabonis 10 1-3 0-1 1-1 3 1-4 0 0 0 1 1 Damon Stoudamire 14 0-2 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 5 2 2 0 0 Totals 48 37-85 4-11 22-29 100 19-50 20 16 21 11 5 Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 42 9-18 1-5 8-10 27 1-5 3 4 3 1 2 Dirk Nowitzki 39 6-14 1-5 0-1 13 1-7 4 3 3 1 1 Shawn Bradley 24 2-5 0-0 0-0 4 2-6 0 1 3 2 2 Raja Bell 19 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0-2 1 0 2 0 0 Steve Nash 39 4-15 1-4 6-7 15 2-4 9 2 5 1 0 Raef LaFrentz 32 8-11 3-3 0-2 19 4-7 1 0 5 0 4 Nick Van_Exel 33 5-8 2-4 1-3 13 1-2 4 4 0 0 0 Adrian Griffin 6 1-3 0-0 0-0 2 0-0 0 0 2 0 0 Walt Williams 6 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0-1 0 0 0 1 1 Totals 48 35-76 8-22 15-23 93 11-34 22 15 23 6 10 patricia