Mavs Blowout Spurs – NBA Roundup
UNDATED (AP) — The Dallas Mavericks and Portland Trail Blazers are heading home, and they're bringing home-court advantage with them.
The Mavs and San Antonio are tied at one game apiece in the NBA's Western Conference quarterfinals after Monta (MAHN'-tay) Ellis 21 points in a 113-92 blowout over the Spurs. Shawn Marion finished with 20 points and Devin Harris added 18 for the Mavericks, who had dropped 10 straight against the Spurs.
The Spurs had a whopping 22 turnovers resulting in 33 points for the Mavericks.
Dallas would be up two games to none if it didn't blow a 10-point lead in the final eight minutes of the series opener.
Game 3 is Saturday in Dallas.
Meanwhile, Portland's LaMarcus Aldridge followed his franchise playoff-record of 46 points in Game 1 by providing 43 points and eight rebounds in a 112-105 triumph at Houston. That gives the Blazers a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference quarterfinals.
Aldridge kept the Blazers afloat by hitting 18 of his 28 shots while the rest of the starters shot a combined 13-for-41. Damian Lillard finished with 18 points and 11 assists but was just 3 of 14 from the field.
Dwight Howard had team highs of 32 points and 14 rebounds for the Rockets.
Portland hosts Game 3 on Friday.
Also on Wednesday, the Heat never trailed after carrying a 29-19 into the second quarter of a 101-97 win over the Bobcats, giving Miami a 2-0 lead in the Eastern Conference quarterfinals. LeBron James scored 32 points on 11-of-17 shooting and finished with eight assists and six rebounds. Chris Bosh was 4-for-5 from 3-point range and 8 of 11 overall in adding 20 points.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist paced the Bobcats with 22 points, while Al Jefferson added 18 and 13 rebounds.
Game 3 is Saturday in Charlotte.
NEW YORK (AP) — Phoenix guard Goran Dragic (DRAHG'-ich) has been named winner of the NBA's Most Improved Player Award. He came into the season with a career scoring average of 9.5 points a game before registering 20.3 with 5.9 assists per game.
Indiana's Lance Stephenson was second in the voting, with Anthony Davis of the Pelicans third.