On the day when the reality of Caron Butler’s knee injury came to a head, Tuesday’s 84-81 over the Trail Blazers was tenacious and gritty.
Butler, who averages 15 points per game, is out for the season after undergoing surgery Tuesday to repair a ruptured patella tendon he suffered in the first quarter of Saturday’s game against the Bucks.
With such an offensive piece missing, the Mavericks know other guys will have to maximize their potential to fill the void. On Tuesday, those players were Jason Terry, DeShawn Stevenson and Tyson Chandler.
Terry shot just 8 for 19 from the floor, but netted 12 of his points in the fourth quarter and seven points in the final 2:34 minutes. His 3 knotted the game at 77-77 and his jump shot put the Mavs 79-77. The Blazers’ LaMarcus Aldridge, who scored 28 on the night, missed a free throw that would have tied the game once again. Stevenson took that chance to make a long-range shot for a two-possession lead at 82-78, but Wesley Matthews quickly threw up an answer to cut the lead to 82-81.
Then the Mavs went to “ Mr. 4th Quarter” Terry for a pull-up jumper and an emotional 84-81 victory and a crowd explosion as Mavs Nation came together.
Notes
- Tyson Chandler had a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds.
- Dirk Nowitzki missed his fifth straight game for just the second time in his career.
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