Fans at the Moda Center got their money’s worth with an offensive basketball game Sunday night, even as the Portland Trail Blazers lost to the Dallas Mavericks 137-131.

The Blazers, becoming more combative by the day, went head-to-head with NBA superstar Luka Doncic and his supporting cast of sharp-shooting role players throughout the second half. In these last two quarters, the offensive output of both teams was so great, the level of shooting so absurd, the finale so strange – that Anfernee Simons, who madly struggled for 24 points in the third quarter, almost felt like a forgotten subplot in the most entertaining game the Blazers’ season. This thought seems particularly true since Simons didn’t play the final eight minutes of the barnburner (more on that later).

During the game, both teams shot over 50% from the field and beyond the 3-point line, with the Blazers getting closer to 60% in both categories. The Blazers scored in the second half 70% (28-40) from the field and 64.7% (11-17) to 3, significantly exceeding the Mavs’ excellent marks of 61.9% and 52.6%, respectively. For a Blazers team better known for its tough shooting performances — like the 4-for-42 from 3 against the Memphis Grizzlies on Nov. 10 — the fireworks against Dallas were a liberating sight.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Blazers head coach Chauncey Billups, who was a little more optimistic than usual after a loss. “You just talk about the back and forth. The shooting technique in the game was unbelievable. The build-up to the game was incredible.”

While the hot shooting was a team affair, Simons got the ball rolling in the third quarter. The seventh-year guard finished the night with a bizarre 27-point, five-assist performance. Billups said he can’t remember anything like it in all his time as a player or coach.

Simons was hamstrung by four fouls and scored just three points in the first half. In the third quarter, Simons scored 24 points and five three-pointers on 8-9 shooting. He hit threes on deep pull-ups and quick spot-ups, helping the Blazers erase a 12-point deficit. Simons said the offensive outburst may have been the hottest stretch of his career, rivaling an October night at the Moda Center two years ago when he scored 22 points in the third quarter against the Denver Nuggets.

“Actually after the first one,” Portland forward Toumani Camara said of knowing Simons was on a heater. “Ant can be like that. As soon as he sees it go in once, he will take the second one after that, as he should. … After that, it was just a snowball effect.”

“You see three shots in a row, then you know (you’re on a heater),” Simons added. “Especially the way they go in…it’s a pretty clean job.”

Then Simons fouled out just two seconds into the fourth quarter, hastily extinguishing the inferno. He checked in at 8:14 of the fourth; He was fouled at 8:12 after colliding with Dallas center Dwight Powell, who was chasing a loose ball.

All Simons and Billups could do was laugh at the absurdity of the moment when it happened. Billups did the same when asked about the game in the postgame presser.

“That was just crazy, getting fouled on the first play,” Billups said with an incredulous smile. “…It was just a strange game, just an instinctive game. That was just unfortunate.”

With the Blazers trailing by double digits and Simons now disqualified, it appeared they would succumb to the Mavs. But the offense continued to erupt, still scoring 34 points in the fourth quarter, just five shy of the Blazers’ third-quarter performance.

Deni Avdija was great down the stretch, scoring 14 of his 21 points in the fourth as he pushed his way to layups. Shaedon Sharpe scored 15 of his 22 points in the second half, making a name for himself in the midfield throughout. Toumani Camara took a 5-7 lead from deep throughout the game, including 2-2 in that crucial fourth quarter.

Doncic finished the game with 36 points and 13 assists on 62.5% shooting, leading a Dallas team that had six players score in double figures. Mavs guard Quentin Grimes dropped 28 on 69.2% shooting. It rained threes from both sides and the Blazers fought back again and tied the game at 127-127 with just 1:54 left.

Then things went downhill for Portland in the final possession phases. The Blazers were hit by a couple of early misses, a tough Dallas duel that converted a Spencer Dinwiddie offensive foul into two Dallas free throws, and a crucial Sharpe turnover with just under 40 seconds left.

The narrow loss left Billups thinking about the little things the game can depend on, like a tough break on an offensive goalie call in the final minutes. While Billups praised his players’ performance, he pointed to a blurry first half, the importance of every possession and Dallas’ 33 points on 21 Portland turnovers as major factors in the loss.

The Blazers were surprisingly superior to the Mavs in the offensive exchanges on Sunday. They just didn’t play clean enough to capitalize on it.

“Man, we made the most of it today,” Billups said. “…If you score 131 points, you should win the game.”