Mavs Hand Magic Another Loss—Barely

Blazers put up 8th straight win by baffling Hornets 88-76
By Katherine Thompson,  Newser Staff
Posted Dec 18, 2007 3:54 AM CST
Mavs Hand Magic Another Loss—Barely
Portland Trail Blazers center Joel Przybilla, right, is fouled from behind by New Orleans Hornets guard Rasual Butler during the first half of their NBA basketball action in Portland, Ore., Monday, Dec. 17, 2007. (AP Photo/Don Ryan)   (Associated Press)

The Mavericks held on to a slim lead through most of last night's contest with the Magic, capitalizing on Orlando's sudden inability to hit three-pointers to prevail 111-108. Dirk Nowitzki notched 31 points and 11 boards for Dallas, while Hedo Turkoglu led the Magic with 26 points, the Orlando Sentinel reports. Meanwhile, in Portland:

The Blazers again played far above their experience level, holding New Orleans' Chris Paul to 11 points and leaving him clutching his head in shock. The 88-76 victory is Portland's eighth straight, and came largely thanks to Branon Roy's 24 points and eight assists. Finally above .500, the Trail Blazers have five home games coming up. (More NBA stories.)

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