Mavs looking to slow down Lillard when they play the Blazers again

PORTLAND – Whatever strategy the Dallas Mavericks use when they play Portland at 8 p.m. Sunday at Fashion Stadium The center will likely include an attempt to take out Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard.

When the Blazers beat the Mavs 136-117 on Saturday, thanks largely to Lillard’s 36 points, 5 rebounds and 10 assists. The Mavs know they can’t afford a performance like Lillard’s when the two clubs meet for the second time in a row in the same arena.

Lillard was 11 of 20 from the field, 4 of 11 from 3-point ground and made all 10 of his free throws. He was everywhere, making Mav’s life miserable.

“(He) just attacked all the time,” Mavs point guard Luka Doncic said. “He’s a great shooter, so you should pick him up almost at halftime.

“(He) just got aggressive and dribbled and got to the free throw line and got to the paint.”

Blazers center Jusuf Nurkić was also aggressive, posting 22 points and 11 rebounds in just 23 minutes, with Anferni Simons adding 21 points and five assists.

While the Blazers doubled Doncic nearly every time he touched the ball, holding him to an all-time low of 15 points on 7-of-19 shooting, Spencer Dinwiddie and Reggie Bullock led the Mavs on offense. Dinwiddie finished with a team-high 25 points on 8-of-12 shots, while Bullock made 8-of-10 shots from three-point range.

The eight triples were a record for Bullock, who had converted just 7 of 26 shots from downtown in the previous five games.

*This is the final five-game journey for the Mavs before they fly home to face the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center. Mavs 1-3 on this journey. They lost in Oklahoma City 120-109 on January 8, lost to the Los Angeles Clippers 113-101 last Tuesday, defeated the Los Angeles Lakers 119-115 in double overtime last Thursday and lost on Saturday. matchup with the Blazers, 136-119.

* As the Blazers raced up and down the court on Saturday, the Blazers outscored the Mavs in fast break points, 24-9. That 15-point lead almost turned out to be the difference in a game that Portland won by 17 points.

*The 15 points that Luka Doncic scored was only the second time this season that he has kept below 20 points. On another occasion, he scored 19 points on December 19 in Minnesota when he received two technical fouls and was sent off with two minutes left in the third quarter.

*On Saturday, the Blazers beat the Mavs 47-25, including 10-2 on offense. Portland also outscored the Mavs in all four quarters, including 40–26 in the second quarter.

DALLAS MAVERICS (24-20) and PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS (20-22)

When: 20:00, Sunday

Where: Fashion Center, Portland

TV SET: Bally Sports Southwest

Radio: 97.1 FM Freak; 99.1 FM Zone MX (Spanish)

Twitter: @DwainPrice