By Caleb Hersch

There's no place like home.

The Trail Blazers won their third straight game at the Rose Garden, defeating the Dallas Mavericks 91-82. The Trail Blazers improve to 3-3 on the season, remaining undefeated at home.

Brandon Roy led all scorers with a career-high 32 points. He hit four shots from beyond the arc and scored 18 points in the second half as the Trail Blazers refused to relinquish their lead. Roy also contributed seven assists.

While Roy provided the offense, Travis Outlaw and LaMarcus Aldridge did a remarkable job defensively. The duo held reigning MVP Dirk Nowitzki to just 11 points on 4-13 shooting. Nowitzki was frustrated by the length of the Trail Blazers front-court and was unable to find any rhythm.

Outlaw and Aldridge also made major contributions on offense. Outlaw had his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Aldridge was extremely consistent as he scored 18 points and grabbed eight rebounds.

For the first three quarters, Portland dominated the painted area. They led outscored the Mavericks 34-14 in the paint over the first 36 minutes. Aldridge, Outlaw and Joel Przybilla controlled the lane on both sides of the ball. Przybilla scored seven points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots, including a Nowitzki lay-up attempt late in the third quarter.

Portland Head Coach Nate McMillan was particularly pleased with the hustle of Outlaw and Przybilla off the bench.

"It was good to see Travis break out. As long as he's getting those shots, he's making them. We told him that. But in addition, he played aggressively and was strong on the boards as was Joel."

Their inability to score inside was the main reason that the Mavericks shot just 35% from the field. They also shot just 25% from beyond the three-point line.

Coach McMillan was thrilled with the teams defensive effort.

"I thought our defense was the best we've played all season. Our defense against their post players was especially outstanding."

Steve Blake was the pacesetter for the Trail Blazers. His speed and energy helped Portland play at a breakneck pace while never losing their composure. Blake finished the game with a season-high nine assists. His total helped the Trail Blazers amass 28 assists to the Mavericks' 11.

About the difference in assists, Blake said, "It’s a sign of how well we're playing together as a team. We're moving the ball well and making that extra pass which leads to good shots."

During the final moments of the third quarter, Jarrett Jack took over the game, scoring four points in the last 11 seconds. First, Jack took his man off the dribble from the top of the key and hit a running bank shot from just outside the paint. After Jerry Stackhouse was called for an offensive foul with five seconds to go, Jack dribbled the ball over half the length of the court and made a lay-up in traffic. He was fouled, but missed the free throw. His personal run extended the Portland lead to 13 points.

With this victory the Trail Blazers snapped a 13-game losing streak against the Mavericks. This was the fourth longest losing streak to a single team in franchise history.

Josh Howard led the Mavericks with 20 points and seven rebounds. The Mavericks had just 10 assists, while they turned the ball over 11 times.

Mavericks Head Coach Avery Johnson was impressed with the Trail Blazers' efforts.

"You have to take your hats off to them. They played on a back to back and they were on fire. They played hard offensively and defensively and we weren't very good in either area. They definitely deserved to win this game tonight."

The Trail Blazers play their next game on Tuesday night at the Rose Garden against the Detroit Pistons.

Tuesday night is the first of three Trail Blazers Heritage Nights this season. The 1990 and 1992 Western Conference Champion teams will be honored during halftime. Hall of Famer Clyde Drexler and teammates Terry Porter, Jerome Kersey and Kevin Duckworth will reunite for the ceremony.

Boxscore || Kevin Pritchard Interview || Nate McMillan Interview