The last time Luka Doncic returned from injury was against the Portland Trail Blazers.

The result was a 36-point performance that resulted in a 36-point victory for the Dallas Mavericks. Doncic was welcomed back into the lineup Monday against the Blazers after a week off to recover from a bruised left heel.

Doncic’s ability to absorb contact in the first half set the stage for another lopsided victory as the Mavericks cruised to a 132-108 win over the struggling Blazers.

Doncic converted three shots in the first half when he was fouled. He missed his first three shots until he fired a one-handed shot from mid-range when he was fouled by Toumani Camara. The Mavericks star finished the game with 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. He was one of five players to score in double figures for the Mavericks.

“He’s strong,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “He knows how to use his body to position himself for this and that. He knows the space he has to reach and does so at a very high level. It was important for him to be out there and get to the free throw line to find that rhythm.”

The Mavericks had the advantage of getting to the free throw line early and often. They finished the game with 34 free throw attempts, 24 of which they made. Daniel Gafford was responsible for 14 of those attempts as he continually found a way to force the Blazers’ defenders into contact.

Gafford shined off the bench for the Mavericks with a season-high 23 points and five rebounds while converting all seven of his field goal attempts. The 6-foot-2 man demonstrated multiple times the ability to put the ball on the ground and land it at the rim through contact.

Gafford said he couldn’t remember when he made so many attempts at the stripe, but he also accomplished the feat during his sophomore season at Arkansas. Gafford scored 10 of his points in the third quarter as he took advantage of Blazers’ rookie center Donovan Clingan, who also made a three-and-one.

“I feel like I’m on top of the world,” Gafford said of his ability to finish through contact. “It’s like I’m a kid in a candy store, especially when I get a chance to score, and when I get one, I get a chance to just scream. I let out a lot of negative energy. I can get the bad air out.”

Kyrie Irving added 20 points and three rebounds. PJ Washington had 12 points and four rebounds.

The Blazers were led by Deni Avdija, who scored a total of 19 points and six rebounds as well as three assists. Deandre Ayton added 16 points and nine rebounds. Shaedon Sharpe scored 13 points while the Mavericks limited Anfernee Simons to just 10 points and five assists.

History was on the line at the American Airlines Center when Klay Thompson came into the game needing six 3-pointers to pass Reggie Miller (2,560) and move into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time 3-pointers list to secure. He scored 13 points but was left with just three triples on the night.

He hit his first three-pointer of the game but missed the next three until his second and final three-pointer of the game in the second quarter. After scoring on his third triple of the night, he raised his arms in the air. He made three of his eight attempts and finished with two fewer than Miller’s record.

The Mavericks will practice on the morning of Christmas Eve before taking on the Minnesota Timberwolves for a Christmas Day showdown on Wednesday.

It will likely be a night in which Thompson eclipses Miller’s record and cements himself in an elite class of shooters that includes Stephen Curry, James Harden, Ray Allen and Damian Lillard.

“He shoots the ball extremely well, so we think he will be able to do that next game,” Kidd said.

X/Twitter: @MikeACurtis2

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