PORTLAND, Ore. – Things were going along just fine for the Mavericks on Friday night.
They were rolling with a double-digit lead for most of the first half and looked like they were going to outclass the rebuilding Portland Trail Blazers.
And then, Kyrie Irving’s right foot was on the unfortunate end of a hard fall to the court by teammate Dwight Powell. For a player who has missed time with right foot soreness recently, it was something nobody on the Mavericks wanted to see.
But the Mavericks showed a resourcefulness and resolve that was led by Dante Exum and Luka Dončić and allowed them to fend off the Blazers 125-112, despite a manpower shortage that is starting to get critical.
Exum was the X-factor that made the difference. He finished with 23 points, seven assists and six rebounds, but it was his work defensively, picking up Portland’s high-scoring guards full court and making the work, that ignited the Mavericks.
“One of the biggest things with our team is our next man up mentality,” Exum said. “You see that right now with me as an example.
“We have (a lot of players) down. And the guys have been able to step up. Hopefully, he (Irving) is not out for too long, but we have a deep roster that’s willing and ready to step up.”
The Mavericks wore down the Blazers, who in the fourth quarter shot just 9-of-25 from the field and had four turnovers.
Exum’s nonstop harassment of Anfernee Simons and Shaedon Sharpe throughout the game certainly made life tougher on the Blazers’ guards down the stretch.
“He was big,” coach Jason Kidd said of Exum. “To start and then to have to play both ends, I thought he did a great job offensively and defensively. It’s not easy guarding Simons. But just playing off Luka and Kai, and then to lose Kai, I thought Dante did a really good job attacking on the double teams and getting to the rim.
“And I thought one of the big plays was down the stretch when Luka found him on the roll and he throws out to Derrick Jones for the three. I thought that was a really nice play.”
There were a lot of them on this night for the Mavericks, who were stuck in a one-point game early in the fourth quarter, leading 99-98. But Luka scored the next five points and then fed center Dereck Lively II with a lob for a dunk and the lead was up to 106-98.
The Blazers never got closer than six the rest of the way.
Afterward, the attention turned quickly to Irving’s injury.
He went down with 3:51 left in the first half when he was fouled on a drive to the basket on a missed shot. Powell came in to try for an offensive rebound and fell awkwardly, landing on Irving’s right foot. He did not return.
With the Mavericks already missing Josh Green, Grant Williams and Maxi Kleber, it meant four of their top 10 players were unavailable.
“It’s tough,” said Tim Hardaway Jr., who had 20 points. “But we got to have his back. That’s what he would want. I’m glad we came out with the victory.”
Asked about Irving’s spirits after the game, Hardaway said: “He was right there waiting for us at the door when we came in (to the locker room). He was good. Great spirits. Just happy that he’s OK. We all saw on social media how it looked. It obviously didn’t look too good. Hopefully, we’ll have him back soon.”
It was described only as a right foot injury for Irving.
For the Mavericks, it was important that they reacted in resilient fashion to the loss.
“It’s kind of hard, especially with the opposing team seeing that, it gives them some life a little bit,” Hardaway said. “But it’s part of the game. I think we took their best punch when they cut the lead to two or something like that.
“I’m happy that we still had (No.) 77 on our side and weather the storm with his decision-making and Dante Exum having an incredible game. It was a team effort.”
There were lots of strong performers from start to finish as the Mavericks moved their record to 13-8 with their second win in a row.
Briefly: Josh Green (right elbow), Grant Williams (right knee) and Maxi Kleber (right small toe) all were out against the Blazers. Dante Exum got the start in place of Williams . . . The Mavericks are in the midst of a disjointed trip. The NBA added on their game at Portland when the Mavericks didn’t make the knockout round of the In-Season Tournament. Coming with it was the 1,600-plus-mile flight from Dallas to Portland, then back to Memphis on Friday. “It comes with not making it to Vegas,” Kidd said. “You got to be prepared. You just got to go play them. I think we’re back here next week. It’s just part of the business. We’re here and then we go to Memphis. It turns into a two-game trip. So we got to play it.”
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