Stats rundown: 5 numbers from a Dallas Mavericks win over the Portland Trail Blazers, 117-112

The Dallas Mavericks beat the Portland Trail Blazers 117-112 Saturday night in Dallas. The teams traded runs throughout the first three quarters, with neither team able to take control. The lead swung back and forth during the last quarter, before a series of timely 3-pointers by the Mavericks finally put them ahead comfortably with less than a minute left in the game. A Dorian Finney-Smith 3-pointer from the top of the key sealed the win.

Luka Doncic led all scorers with 42 points to go along with 13 rebounds and 10 assists. It’s his fourth 40-point triple-double of his career. Tim Hardaway Jr. added 16 points from the bench. Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points and dished out six assists (more on him in a bit). Jerami Grant led the Blazers with 37 points, and Damian Lillard scored 29 points and handed out 12 assists.

Here are five key numbers from the game:

6: The number of 3-pointers by Dinwiddie

Dinwiddie was on fire from deep, going 6-of-8 on 3-pointers. He won the game for the Mavericks with his shooting, hitting all three of his attempts in the fourth quarter. It was the kind of timely shooting the Mavericks have lacked at times this season. Dinwiddie’s six 3-pointers were huge. The Blazers as a team only hit 13.

12: The number of fast break points by the Mavericks

The usually plodding Mavericks got out and ran tonight, spurred on by some silly turnovers by the Blazers. Dallas doesn’t like getting up the floor quickly, playing at one of the slowest paces in the NBA. But the game flow offered some opportunities to run, and they took them. Doncic is a great passer in the open floor, but more than that, he’s tough to contain when he’s got a full head of steam on a fast break. I’ll forever beg that they run more for easy points.

3-of-15: The Mavericks’ shooting on corner 3-pointers

The Portland defense gave up a ton of corner threes tonight. Unfortunately, the Mavericks couldn’t convert them, shooting just 20% on those attempts. If they’d have hit them, they might have run the Blazers out of the gym early.

15: The number of free throws made by Doncic

One of the few weaknesses in Doncic’s game is his inability to consistently hit free throws. Not tonight. He went 15-of-18 from the charity stripe on a night the Mavericks needed all the points they could get. Hopefully he’ll have more nights like that.

19: The number of points by Christian Wood

Wood was able to put up 19 points in only 25 minutes while playing in foul trouble. He also grabbed five rebounds. He needs to play more, but at least it was fouling that kept him off the floor more against Portland and not the coaching staff.

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