PORTLAND, Ore. – Luka Dončić was back Sunday night. Other than a few ups and downs, not much has changed.

The Mavericks continued to find a way to win.

Dončić returned after a five-game absence and let the Portland Trail Blazers know that he’s still pretty good at this basketball thing. The superstar point guard collected 36 points and 13 assists and the Mavericks fended off a strong challenge down the stretch to defeat the Blazers 137-131 at the Moda Center.

“Just happy, man. That’s what I like to do,” Dončić said of his return after missing five games with a right wrist sprain. “I’m just happy to be out there. Of course we are happy that we won.

“They (his teammates) played great. They have beaten some strong teams. I was happy to be with them again.”

And he had some very magical moments, including the second quarter when he hit all six of his shots, including three 3-pointers for 15 points.

“He was really, really good, not just the goal, but also the confidence (when he was) going into the double team and trusting the other players on the court that they were going to make the right play,” Coach said Jason Kidd from Luke. “It’s like he picked up right where he left off.”

Luka, Quentin Grimes and Spencer Dinwiddie made key plays as the Mavericks won for the eighth time in nine games and improved to 13-8. Portland fell to 8-13.

Interestingly, a challenge helped stave off the Blazers’ late challenge.

With the Mavericks leading 130-129, Spencer Dinwiddie, who had 20 points and five assists, was called for an offensive foul while running offside next to Deni Avdija.

Dinwiddie immediately signaled to Kidd that the foul needed to be challenged, and Kidd agreed.

The referees overturned their decision and Dinwiddie’s two free throws made it a three-point game. Grimes stole the ball from Shaedon Sharpe on the next play and Daniel Gafford got free for an easy dunk and the 134-129 lead remained until the end.

“The challenge is that we listen to the players,” Kidd said. “Spencer being Spencer, he felt like he was grabbed first. So when things get tight, we accept the challenge. And it also gives us a chance to figure out who we want on defense when it’s their ball. It was great to come up with the two free throws and get Spencer to make them.”

Dinwiddie said he takes the challenge for granted.

“I knew he was grabbing me,” he said. “I was just trying to fill the time – and of course get the ball to Luka. I don’t even try to make a basketball move. I just pick up the ball to give it to Luka. So there’s no point in holding my arm.

“(It was) hugely important. It’s a bang-bang, I guess. I’m grateful that J-Kidd trusted me in this situation. Yes, it was big. Get to the front, beat them down, extend the lead and put them in a situation other than defeating them.”

It provided a happy ending on a night where the Mavericks were truly shorthanded. But it was also a reminder that they can win in many ways, even if the defense wasn’t good. Both teams made 18 three-pointers and shot over 55 percent.

Luka made sure the Mavericks had enough offense and said he felt much fresher after nearly two weeks of inactivity.

“Definitely. A bit of rest helped,” he said. “The last few games I’ve played I’ve been a bit tired. That shouldn’t be an excuse, but obviously I’m doing a lot better now. I think my pace was great in this game, I just have to keep going.”

Although it was mostly a defensive pillow fight, the Mavericks made a few late defensive stops that influenced the outcome.

The Mavericks only had 11 players in uniform and it wasn’t so much about how many people were missing, but about who those players were.

Klay Thompson (left foot), Kyrie Irving (right shoulder) and Dereck Lively II (right knee) make up 60 percent of the Mavericks’ usual starting lineup. Also eliminated was Naji Marshall, who was a starting player when not a first-class reserve player.

Due to a significant lack of personnel, the Mavericks struggled from a deficit in the first half when they trailed by as many as 10 points, but pulled away by halftime and actually had a 61-58 lead when Dončić scored 10 points late in the half and added more assists delivered back-to-back threes from PJ Washington and Grimes.

Luka had 20 points at halftime and the Mavericks were in a good position to win this quick two-game trip.

His second quarter was literally perfect. In addition to his flawless shooting, he had five assists, four rebounds and no turnovers.

“Anytime you have an MVP-caliber player, let’s say top five in the world, you let him win the MVP and then you figure it out,” Dinwiddie said of the way the Mavericks handled his return to Luka. “It’s our job as professionals to figure it out.”

And of course the second quarter thrilled everyone.

“His size doesn’t surprise me at all,” Dinwiddie said. “What I observe is from his body language standpoint. You can tell he has a different look after he’s hit a few and (he says), “I’m about to get 15 more.”

“When he looks like this, we are all spectators because no one on this planet is going to do anything (to stop him). He has this fire in his eyes.”

X: @ESefko