DALLAS — Jason Terry scored 12 of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, DeShawn Stevenson also had 18 points and the injury-depleted Dallas Mavericks held on for an 84-81 victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night.
LaMarcus Aldridge had 28 points and 10 rebounds and Marcus Camby contributed 10 points and 20 rebounds for Portland.
Tyson Chandler added 14 points and 13 rebounds for the Mavericks, who are without injured starters Dirk Nowitzki and Caron Butler.
Earlier in the day, the team announced that Butler will miss the rest of the season following surgery Tuesday to repair a torn tendon in his right knee.
Butler was Dallas’ No. 3 scorer, averaging 14 points and 4.1 rebounds in almost 30 minutes per game. He was an inside-out force the Mavs relied on to draw defenses away from Nowitzki.
The team’s top scorer at 24.1 points per game, Nowitzki missed his fifth straight game with a sprained right knee and is day-to-day.
Terry took over for Butler, and Shawn Marion is starting for Nowitzki.
Portland is without guard Brandon Roy, sidelined indefinitely with a left knee injury. Also, center Greg Oden is out for the season with a left knee injury.
Terry’s 20-footer with 1:23 left gave Dallas the lead for good at 79-77.
Aldridge made one of two free throws, then Stevenson drained a 3-pointer with 51.9 seconds remaining for an 82-78 edge.
Wes Matthews banked in a 3 from the top of the key with 33.9 seconds left, but Terry nailed a 20-footer with 12.9 seconds remaining to pad Dallas’ lead to 84-81.
Aldridge’s 3-point attempt at the buzzer was long.
The Blazers appeared on the verge of taking control when Aldridge made a jump hook, then converted two free throws with 4:27 to play, extending the lead to 77-72.
But Chandler scored inside and Terry swished a 3-pointer from the left corner to pull Dallas into a tie at 77 with 2:34 remaining.
Stevenson scored nine during the third quarter, including a pair of 3-pointers, and Dallas carried a 62-60 advantage into the final quarter.
Stevenson hit three free throws with 0.3 seconds left in the second quarter after he was fouled by Matthews on a 3-pointer, giving Dallas a 43-40 edge at halftime.
NOTES: C Joel Przybilla went scoreless in 2:50 for Portland after missing the previous seven games with a sprained left ankle. He also sat out the season’s first 18 games with a right knee injury and stomach flu. … Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said Butler’s surgery “went extremely well, from what I heard.” Carlisle said he’s exchanged text messages with Butler. “He’s in unbelievably great, positive spirits,” Carlisle said. “He’ll do great with this rehab.” Butler can become a free agent at the end of the season. … The Mavs have won 21 of their last 26 meetings with the Trail Blazers.
