Mavericks Fall 125-122 in Portland: Avdija's Triple-Double Erases a Four-Point Lead in the Last Three Minutes
Dallas came back from 13 down at halftime and led by four with 3:13 left, but Deni Avdija's 27-point triple-double and a 7-0 Portland run flipped the finish, and Naji Marshall's last three would not fall. Max Christie led the Mavericks with 25.
PORTLAND — The Mavericks spent three quarters digging out and three minutes giving it back. Dallas lost 125-122 to the Trail Blazers in Portland, a game it trailed 42-29 after one quarter and 75-63 at halftime, tied three times in the fourth, and led by four points with 3:13 remaining — before Portland closed it out.
Deni Avdija was the difference, and the searches noticed: the Portland forward, the day's top trending player in the United States, scored 27 points with 10 rebounds and 11 assists to lead all scorers. Max Christie led Dallas with 25, and his three in the final minutes put the Mavericks back in front 122-121 after Portland's 7-0 run had seized the lead at 120-117. Caleb Young's free throws returned the lead to Portland, an Avdija offensive foul gave Dallas one last possession, and Naji Marshall's three after the timeout did not connect.
The comeback itself ran through the third and fourth quarters. Dallas cut a 12-point halftime deficit to four by the end of the third, 97-93, and Klay Thompson tied the game at 99 around the 9:30 mark of the fourth — the first time the Mavericks had not trailed since early in the first quarter. Cooper Flagg, scoreless in the first quarter, came alive in the second and his first free throws of the night built the four-point lead late.
The pattern in the loss is the one following this team on the road: a first quarter surrendered (42 points, on a night Portland had played the night before) and a finish that required perfection. Dallas got the lead, the stop and the final shot. It did not get the bounce, and it flies home with a three-point loss that was there to be won.
