DALLAS — O.J. Mayo was at the center of a play that cost Dallas a game in Portland last week.
He made up for it Wednesday night against the Trail Blazers in yet another game the Mavericks really needed.
Mayo scored 28 points, Vince Carter hit a big jumper in the final minute and the Mavericks beat the Blazers 105-99 for coach Rick Carlisle’s 500th career victory.
Eight nights earlier, Mayo was called for a charge with 1.5 seconds left in a tie game, giving Portland a chance to win. LaMarcus Aldridge hit a jumper at the buzzer, and it wasn’t much consolation to the Mavericks when the NBA said the next day that the call should have been a block and Mayo should have been shooting free throws for the lead.
The loss started a 1-3 road trip with the Mavericks struggling to get into playoff contention and keep alive a 12-year postseason streak, meaning the rematch in Dallas was even more important.
“It’s an opportunity for us to gain ground in the standings before the All-Star break," Mayo said. “It’s a game we needed to win. We remember what happened last week in Portland."
Mayo had 20 in the first half and was mostly quiet before getting two important baskets with Portland trying to rally late in the fourth quarter. Carter put Dallas ahead 99-94 with 26 seconds left on a jumper just inside the 3-point line with the shot clock winding down.
Aldridge had 27 points and 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who had just 38 points in the second half and fell to 1-1 on a six-game road trip.
“I think we definitely had a chance to win tonight," Aldridge said. “I thought we had a tough stretch tonight when they had us down by one and then we had turnover after turnover. We still have to do better."
With Aldridge watching in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks went on a 10-2 run for a 93-86 lead and scored again when Aldridge returned on a dunk by Mayo to go up nine before Aldridge helped Portland get close.
Aldridge had a pair of baskets, and Damian Lillard hit two free throws to pull Portland within 97-94. Wesley Matthews had a chance to tie the score, but his 3-pointer rimmed out with 50 seconds left.
Matthews scored 21 points, while J.J. Hickson had 14 points and 10 rebounds for Portland. Lillard finished with 19 after scoring 15 in the first half.
Portland coach Terry Stotts, who was an assistant under Carlisle the previous four years, sneaked across the midcourt line to shake hands with his old boss before the game ended, and Mayo said players gave their coach a standing ovation in the locker room after the game.
Carlisle is the 28th coach to 500 wins and is among five active coaches with at least that many. The others are Denver’s George Karl, Minnesota’s Rick Adelman, San Antonio’s Gregg Popovich and Boston’s Doc Rivers. Carlisle’s career record is 500-353.
The Mavericks took their first lead on a 3-pointer by Nowitzki early in the third quarter, starting an eight-minute stretch that included six ties, four lead changes and neither team going ahead by more than two.
Portland went back up by eight on a 10-0 run that included eight from Aldridge, who had 14 of Portland’s 21 points in the third and scored 10 straight carrying over into the fourth. The Mavericks pulled back within two at 82-80 on a 3-pointer by Carter with 1.9 seconds left in the quarter.
Defense was mostly nonexistent in a first half that ended with Portland leading 61-57.
Also on Wednesday:
Heat 114
Rockets 108
MIAMI — LeBron James scored 32 points, Dwyane Wade added 31 points and eight assists, and Miami held off Houston. James Harden finished with 36 points and 12 rebounds for Houston.
Thunder 119
Warriors 98
OKLAHOMA CITY — Kevin Durant scored 25 points and Oklahoma City won consecutive games for the first time in nearly three weeks.
Wizards 106
Knicks 96
WASHINGTON — John Wall had 21 points as Washington stopped New York’s five-game winning streak.
Clippers 86
Magic 76
ORLANDO, Fla. — Eric Bledsoe had 27 points, including 19 in the second half, and Los Angeles used a big third quarter to snap a three-game losing streak.
Celtics 99
Raptors 95
TORONTO — Kevin Garnett scored a season-high 27 points with 10 rebounds, Paul Pierce had 12 points and 11 rebounds, and Boston won its fifth straight game.
Cavaliers 122
Bobcats 95
CLEVELAND — Kyrie Irving scored 22 points in just three quarters as Cleveland beat Charlotte.
Pacers 88
76ers 69
PHILADELPHIA — Roy Hibbert had 16 points and 13 rebounds to lead Central Division-leading Indiana to its third victory in three nights.
Hawks 103
Grizzlies 92
ATLANTA — Jeff Teague had 22 points and a season-high 13 assists, Josh Smith added 19 points and 11 rebounds and Atlanta snapped a two-game skid.
Nets 93
Pistons 90
AUBURN HILLS, Mich. — Brook Lopez had 17 points, and Brooklyn won at Detroit for the first time since 2006.
Hornets 93
Suns 84
NEW ORLEANS — Greivis Vasquez scored 19 points and New Orleans snapped a four-game losing streak.
Spurs 104
Timberwolves 94
MINNEAPOLIS — Danny Green hit eight 3-pointers and scored a career-high 28 points to help San Antonio to its 11th straight win.
Jazz 100
Bucks 86
SALT LAKE CITY — Paul Millsap and Al Jefferson each scored 19 points, Enes Kanter had 17 and a career-high five blocks, and Utah defeated Milwaukee.
