Final: Blazers Shock the Mavs, 106-104

The Blazers were led by the aforementioned LaMarcus Aldridge with 29 points, 13 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and one unforgettable buzzer-beater. JJ Hickson had a monster night with 26 points and 15 rebounds. Wesley Matthews (17 points, 6 rebounds) and Damian Lillard (10 quiet points and 8 assists) had solid nights, and Nicolas Batum finished with 10 points and 6 assists.

First Quarter: Dallas enjoyed some hot shooting through the quarter, with a little help from some specious Blazer defense. In turn, the Blazers also played a solid quarter at the offensive end, despite some shots rimming out. Thanks to further poor defense, Dallas easily scored at the buzzer, giving them a four point lead after one.

Second Quarter: Before you had a chance to look up, Dallas scored 5 more points, and Portland needed a timeout. The Blazers responded by hitting a few shots to close the gap, but the shots quickly dried up again. Lillard, Matthews and Batum couldn't toss a ball off a cliff. Meanwhile, Dallas took advantage, running the lead to double-digits. Portland needed another timeout. It didn't help, as the Blazers looked lost on defense while the Mavericks enjoyed carte blanche at the rim. Before long, the Dallas lead reached 19. It was still 17 at halftime, after an Aldridge jumper after the shot clock buzzer was removed.

Somebody please teach Hickson to pass the ball. Could be the worst passer in the league.
by kevin_lvp

He doesn't have enough passes to qualify
by permaswoon

Third Quarter: The carnage continued. The Blazers went to the only hot player, Hickson, to keep them close. But at that point, "close" equaled "a lead under 20 points". At its peak, the lead reached 21. However, sooner or later the Mavs were bound to go cold. And cold, indeed! The Blazers went on an absolute tear late in the quarter, as Lillard cut the lead to 6 with two free throws. And it was the same at the end of the third. Dallas looked shell-shocked after a 32 point (!) Blazer third quarter.

Listening to Wheels’ tone switch from extremely dejected to excessively excited has been quite entertaining.
by JAnderson98VR

Fourth Quarter: A Matthews three cut the lead to 5 quickly. Hickson's free throws cut the lead to a single possession. After a bad night, Ronnie Price redeemed himself with a big three pointer, followed by a Sasha Pavlovic steal and dunk to tie the game at 88!

Haha, I like this comeback for no other reason than it makes Timmay's job harder.
by Arby

With the game tied, Pavlovic got a nice pass from Batum... and hit a layup to give the Blazers the lead. But as the crowd cheered, Dirk Nowitzki hit a three to regain the lead. Hickson tied it up with an offensive rebound and layup. Dallas ran a few offensive plays to perfection to settle down and retake a 4 point lead. The Blazers cut it to two, but an insanely lucky long Darren Collison three-pointer banked in, and that looked like the back-breaker.

The Blazers had one last chance to tie, down three with 30 seconds left, and gave it to Batum, who nailed a three-pointer to tie the game! However, Nowitzki got the three-pointer right back at the other end, giving Dallas a three-point lead again.

What an insane second half.
by Roy Wonder

With 10 seconds left, the Blazers gave it to Aldridge for a desperation three.. and swished it! Tie game with 3.2 seconds left. In turn, the Mavs gave it to OJ Mayo, who committed an offensive foul on Price with 1.5 seconds left! The Blazers, with an unexpected chance to win, gave it to Aldridge, who shot a turnaround.. and swished! The Blazers mobbed LaMarcus on the court, celebrating one of the most shocking wins of the season.

Box score | Portland Trail Blazers tickets via TiqIQ

Stay tuned for more analysis from Blazer’s Edge later tonight. In the meantime, check out the upcoming Blazers schedule. -- Tim [blazer.timmay@gmail.com]