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The Portland Trail Blazers hosted the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back, capitalizing on a dominant first-quarter performance to secure a 125–122 victory. The win extended Portland's winning streak to two games while handing the Mavericks their third consecutive loss, with Dallas playing without star center Anthony Davis.

The Trail Blazers came out firing in the opening period, led by forward Deni Avdija, and erupted for 42 points to build a 13-point lead. The Mavericks chipped away in the second half behind strong play from Naji Marshall and Klay Thompson, eventually tying the game early in the fourth quarter. From there, the teams traded blows in a tense back-and-forth battle.

With 53 seconds remaining, Caleb Love sank two clutch free throws to put Portland up by one. In the final seconds, Dallas missed three consecutive three-point attempts—two by Marshall and one by Klay Thompson—sealing the win for the Trail Blazers.

Avdija led Portland with an impressive all-around performance of 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists, including 11 points, 3 rebounds, and 4 assists in the decisive first quarter. Love provided a major spark off the bench with 24 points, while backcourt standout Shaedon Sharpe added 24 points of his own.

For the Mavericks, Christie led the team with 25 points, but rookie Cooper Flagg struggled, finishing with 15 points on 6-of-20 shooting.

Up next, the Trail Blazers will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder on January 1, while the Mavericks will host the Philadelphia 76ers on January 2.