Blazers take down Mavericks in game 3

The Portland Trailblazers were led by guard Wesley Matthews en route to beating the Mavericks 97-92, getting their first win of the series, putting the lead for Dallas at 2-1. Wesley Matthews took over for Portland early, nailing a pair of threes in the corner that got their offense going. Matthews made 4-of-6 threes in the games leading the way with 25 points against an experienced Mavericks team.

The Blazers received great nights from LaMarcus Aldridge with 20 points, and from Brandon Roy coming off the bench with 16 points in limited minutes again. Without Roy playing 30-35 minutes a game, the Blazers have relied on guards Andre Miller and Matthews to step up as they did Thursday.

The Mavs tried fighting back in the fourth, closing it to within six before the Aldridge hit a shot with 45 second left that put them out of reach. Jason Terry hit five threes in the game leading Dallas with 29 points, along with 25 points and nine boards from Dirk. If Dallas wants to close out the series, they will need stronger play from their starters, who only combined for 44 points.

Portland will look to tie the series up at two when they face Dallas again on Saturday.