Mavericks-Trail Blazers Preview

4/12/2008 1:01 AM

By BRETT HUSTON
STATS Writer

One injured MVP, two teams on their heels and three straight losses put the Dallas Mavericks' playoff chances briefly in jeopardy.

Dirk Nowitzki wasn't about to let that possibility become a reality.

With a playoff berth locked in, Nowitzki and the Mavericks will look to win their fourth straight while trying to improve their seeding on Saturday at the Rose Garden against the Portland Trail Blazers.

When Nowitzki went down with a high ankle sprain on March 23, Dallas (50-29) appeared to be in trouble. It lost its third straight that day, 88-81 to San Antonio, and though it was in the seventh spot in the tight Western Conference playoff race, Denver and Golden State were closing in.

The Mavericks split four games without Nowitzki, but the league's reigning MVP returned on April 2, scoring 18 points to help them beat the Warriors 111-86.

After a four-point loss to the Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas has won three straight, and Nowitzki has led the charge. He scored 32 in a 105-98 win over Phoenix on April 6, and had 32 again on Thursday - including the game-winning 3-pointer with 0.9 seconds left - as the Mavericks clinched a playoff spot, beating Utah 97-94.

"How do you leave the MVP wide open? It's unbelievable," said guard Jason Terry, who added 21 points.

With one win and one Denver loss, Dallas can guarantee itself at least the No. 7 seed in the West. Catching Phoenix for the sixth spot remains a possibility, but Nowitzki knows a tough opponent will await the Mavericks regardless of where they end up.

"In the West, in the first round, whoever you're going to face is going to be a tough series, so it should be fun for everybody involved," he told the team's official Web site. "Nothing in this league, especially in the West, is going to come easy to you."

Terry has stepped up lately to give Dallas another strong scoring option in addition to Nowitzki (23.6 points per game) and forward Josh Howard (20.0). He's averaging 21.8 points in his last six, helping the Mavericks to five wins.

The Trail Blazers (39-40) have lost 15 of 16 overall to the Mavericks, but have split two meetings this season.

They need to win their last three to finish with a winning record for the first time since 2002-03, when they went 50-32.

They beat the Lakers 112-103 on Monday to snap a five-game losing streak, but lost 103-86 Friday in Sacramento - their largest margin of defeat since their 20-point loss to Dallas on Feb. 13.

"I want to have a winning record, if we get above .500 it's more for your own pride," guard Brandon Roy said.

LaMarcus Aldridge had 24 points and 15 rebounds in the loss to the Kings, and the second-year power forward is playing his best basketball as the season nears its end. Since March 7, he's averaging 20.9 points and 8.6 rebounds.

But Roy, last season's rookie of the year and an All-Star in 2007-08, has struggled down the stretch. He was averaging 19.8 points in his first 63 games, but that number has dropped to 15.0 per game in his last eight, when he's shooting just 41.4 percent.

Roy has averaged 21.7 points this season against Dallas.