Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 10 rebounds and Jason Terry scored 24 points as Dallas beat Portland 93-89 Wednesday night.
Nowitzki hit 13 of 24 shots, including two during the final 1:03 as Portland attempted to rally from a 13-point second-half deficit.
Dallas (40-25) has won seven of its past nine games, and moved within a half-game of Denver for the seventh playoff seed in the Western Conference.
The loss (40-24) kept Portland one-half game behind Utah for first place in the Northwest Division, and ended the Trail Blazers 12-game home winning streak.
Dallas Jason Kidd was three points shy of a triple-double with seven points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists.
LaMarcus Aldridge led Portland with 23 points and 11 rebounds, while Brandon Roy had 22 points and eight rebounds. Joel Przybilla pulled down a game-high 15 rebounds for the Blazers.
Portland staked itself to a 25-24 lead after the first quarter, but Dallas quickly took command by outscoring the Blazers 14-5 at the outset of the second quarter. Nowitzki was 8-of-11 during the first half and scored 17 points to lead the Mavericks to a 54-44 halftime lead.
Dallas built its lead to 13 points early in the third period when Portland began to make a run. The Blazers pulled to 63-60 on a three-point play by Roy, but couldnt sustain the momentum. Kidd closed out the third quarter with a pair of layups to give the Mavericks a 74-67 lead.
Dallas led throughout the fourth quarter, though Portland had three chances to tie during the final two minutes. The Mavericks finally put away the Blazers when Nowitzki hit a tough 20-foot jumper with 17 seconds left, followed by two free throws by Brandon Bass to put Dallas ahead 92-86.
Notes: Portland guard Rudy Fernandez sat out Wednesdays game, recovering from a hip pointer and bruised chest as a result of a flagrant foul by the Lakers Trevor Ariza on Monday. Fernandez said he 'feels much better than Monday,' when he was carried from the Rose Garden floor on a stretcher. Fernandez, who didnt have an opinion about Arizas foul other than to say he wasnt angry, was unsure when he might practice or play. 'For me, it was scary,' Fernandez said. 'Every day, I feel better.' Portland lost for only the third time in 19 games at the end of a back-to-back schedule. In the first half, the Blazers shot 6-of-9 from 3-point range, but 8-of-31 on their 2-point shots.
