This was the story of the 2016-17 Portland Trail Blazers.
Every time there has been a glimmer of hope or signs that the team might finally be turning the corner they falter, usually in epic and deflating fashion.
And so Portland stuck to its familiar script on Friday, losing 108-104 to the Dallas Mavericks in front of 19,393 at the Moda Center.
Most of the Blazers worst habits reared their head. They fell behind early and spent most of the night playing an impossible game of catch up as the Mavericks seemingly scored at will. As familiar as the game’s script felt, Dallas earned the win on the back of a unlikely candidate.
Dallas rookie point guard Yogi Ferrell, playing his fourth game while on a 10-day contract, torched the Blazers. He put up 22 points in the first half and finished with a career-high 32 points while hitting 9-of-11 three-pointers. Ferrell outplayed Damian Lillard, who finished with 13 points on 4-for-20 shooting and struggled to find his rhythm all night.
The Blazers did their best to make it interesting late. They charged back from a 24-point first half deficit to tie the game at 92 with just over four minutes to play and then cut the Dallas lead to one with 37.5 seconds left.
But Ferrell was there for the biggest shot of the night, a top of the key to put the Mavericks up four with 19.3 seconds left. CJ McCollum responded with a quick three-pointer to pull the Blazers back within one before Wesley Matthews’ two free throws put Dallas up 107-104 with 14 seconds left.
McCollum and Lillard each had a chance to tie the game on the Blazers’ final possession, but McCollum’s three-pointer was short and Lillard’s off-balance leaner only grazed the rim.
It was the second time this season the Blazers rallied back from a huge deficit against Dallas only to lose on a missed three-pointer in the final seconds. Fittingly they had a near repeat performance on a night that reminded everyone in Rip City of the uphill battle they created for themselves this season.
For all the talk the Blazers heading in the right direction after they had won four of their last five games and pushed the Golden State Warriors to the brink in their only misstep, the loss to Dallas was painfully predictable. The Mavericks offered a reminder that Blazers season long quest for sustained momentum may never come to fruition.
The Blazers had climbed back into playoff picture during their off-day on Thursday, but the loss to Dallas coupled with Denver’s victory over Milwaukee pushed Portland back into ninth, a game out of the postseason. Dallas is suddenly in the playoff mix two, trailing Portland by just a game and a half after winning 12 of their last 15 games.
McCollum led the Blazers with 28 points and seven rebounds, Evan Turner had a season-high 24 and Al-Farouq Aminu chipped in 14 points off the bench, hitting two three-pointers in the fourth to fuel the Blazers’ comeback push.
Matthews had 27 points and six rebounds and Seth Curry added 19 points for the Mavericks, who moved
Next up
The Blazers start a two-game road swing in Oklahoma City on Sunday before a rematch with Mavericks in Dallas on Tuesday.
–Mike Richman
mrichman@oregonian.com
@mikegrich
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