PORTLAND, Ore. – When the Mavericks landed in Oklahoma City nine days ago to begin what they told us was a pivotal five-game road trip, momentum and optimism were palpable.
Dallas had won eight of its last nine games. It had climbed to fourth in the West, a mere 3.5 games behind first-place Denver.
Despite a dogged effort Sunday night in the absences of Luka Doncic (rest) and Tim Hardaway Jr., the Mavericks fell to Portland, 140-123 in Moda Center to finish the trip with a playoff-race-damaging 1-4 record.
Granted, Dallas only fell from fourth to fifth place during the trip, but it now trails Denver by seven games. The Mavericks went from leading Sacramento by two games to trailing the now fourth-place Kings by 1.5 games.
The trip’s highlight of course was the double-overtime thriller over the Lakers, but the heavy minutes that Doncic and others played in that game certainly played a role in defeats to the Blazers on Saturday and Sunday.
The Mavericks got 28 points from Spencer Dinwiddie, 23 from Christian Wood in his return from an ankle injury and a career-high 25 points from rookie Jaden Hardy – but Portland’s Damian Lillard backed up his 36-point Saturday performance with 40 points on Sunday.
Without Doncic and Hardaway and the ongoing lengthy absences of Josh Green, Dorian Finney-Smith and Maxi Kleber, Dallas took the court Sunday without 62.5% of its top-eight rotation.
Portland coach Chauncey Billups warned that the result would be like a “free swing” for the remaining Mavericks, adding “that’s a very dangerous player to play against.”
Kidd had his own concerns, beyond the lack of bodies. On the last game of a long trip, he said, it’s easy to look forward to getting home.
The Mavericks quickly dispelled that possibility, hovering within 33-31 after one quarter, 61-54 and 98-95 through three quarters.
