Doncic had 36 points and 13 assists in return as Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 137-131

Doncic had 36 points and 13 assists in return as Mavericks defeated the Trail Blazers 137-131

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — Luka Doncic returned from a wrist injury to score 36 points in the Dallas Mavericks’ 137-131 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

Doncic, who missed five games, also had 13 assists in the Mavericks’ fourth straight win.

The Mavs were missing Kyrie Irving, who scored 30 points in a 106-94 win over the Utah Jazz on Saturday, because of a sore shoulder. The Mavs were also without Klay Thompson (left foot), Dereck Lively II (right knee) and Naji Marshall (due to illness).

Anfernee Simons had 27 points, including 24 in the third quarter, for the Blazers.

Dallas led 112-101 after Spencer Dinwiddie’s 3-pointer in the fourth quarter, but the Blazers made it 127-1 on Deni Avdija’s three-point play with 1:54 left.

PJ Washington answered with a 3-pointer from the baseline for Dallas, and the Blazers couldn’t catch up.

Portland led by as many as 10 points in the first quarter, but the Mavs closed the gap to a 61-58 lead at halftime. Quentin Grimes’ dunk gave Dallas a 79-67 lead in the third period, and the Mavs had a 100-97 lead heading into the final period.

Takeaways

Mavericks: Center Daniel Gafford was accidentally hit in the face in the first quarter and was treated to the floor before going to the locker room, but returned.

Trail Blazers: Portland’s Scoot Henderson was unavailable for the third straight game because of a bruised left quadriceps.

Key moment

Doncic finished the first half with two three-pointers and a 17-foot jumper to give the Mavericks the halftime lead.

Key statistics

Simons had 24 of his 27 points in the third quarter, four points shy of the team record for points in a quarter.

Next

The Mavericks host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday, while the Trail Blazers visit the Los Angeles Clippers the same evening.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

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