As advertised, Brandon Roy and LaMarcus Aldridge have played very well and combined for 28 of Portland's 49 first-half points and combined to shoot 66.6% from the floor. They're giving Roy too much wiggle room when he gets the ball at the perimeter and it's leading to a lot of loose-guarded penetration that is forcing too much hep defense and opening up other players to move the ball around and score.
Steve Blake has also given the Mavericks fits when he is in the game, handing out a game-high five assists.
If they want to slow down the Blazers scoring, they will need to body up on the guards more and force them to pass out from the perimeter and move the ball around before getting penetration. Once they allow Roy and Blake inside, bad things are happening.
Offensively, the Mavericks aren't moving the ball as well. They've only assisted 8 of their 14 baskets. Once again, the Mavs are saved by their excellent free-throw shooting (9 of 10) while Portland left a double-digit lead on the table shooting 9 of 15.
-Scooter Hendon, Hoops Nerd
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