Marvin Bagley III had a game-high 26 points and nine rebounds and Cooper Flagg added 24 points as Dallas ended a five-game losing streak with a 100-93 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday.
Naji Marshall added 19 points and five steals for the Mavericks (24-50), who won for just the fifth time in their past 29 games.
Jrue Holiday had 23 points, Deni Avdija contributed 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists, and Jerami Grant chipped in with 19 points for the Blazers (37-38), who lost for just the second time in their past seven games.
Brandon Williams had 7 of his 10 points late in the fourth quarter to seal the deal for Dallas, whose bench outscored Portland’s 43-17.
Williams and Bagley combined for 36 of those points. It was only the second time Bagley has reached double figures in 11 games this month.
With the game tied at 92, Bagley scored two consecutive baskets, the first on a layup and the second on a reverse dunk as the Mavericks outscored Dallas 8-1 in the final 2:04.
The Blazers were hampered by 25 turnovers, which led to 33 Dallas points. Those giveaways negated Portland’s 48-37 advantage on the boards, led by Donovan Clingan, who grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds.
Dallas, which has 50 losses in a season for just the second time in the last 28 years, went on a 10-0 run to take control late in the first quarter, and didn’t relinquish the lead again until briefly in the third.
Flagg scored 20 of his 24 in the first half. It was the sixth time in the past eight games that the 2025 No. 1 overall draft pick has scored 21 or more points.
Portland, which has already clinched a playoff berth for the first time in five seasons, closed the first half on a 14-2 run to get within five at the break.
The Mavericks took the season series. The teams had split the first two meetings. Friday’s game marked Dallas’ third win in its past 10 road games.
–Field Level Media
