Blazers 125, Mavericks 122: Dallas fumbles late fourth-quarter lead

With the Mavericks appearing to let another late lead slip away, Max Christie pulled up for a deep 3-pointer.

The shot gave Dallas a brief edge, but it was not enough as the Trail Blazers closed strong to beat the Mavericks 125-122 on Monday night.

Christie scored 25 points and knocked down a team-high five 3-pointers. He made three of them in the fourth quarter, briefly pushing Dallas ahead after the Mavericks had trailed for much of the period. Portland guard Caleb Love scored 24 points to nearly match Christie’s output.

Naji Marshall missed two wide-open 3-point attempts late as the Mavericks fell to 12-22.

Dallas has now lost seven straight road games. Its last road win came Dec. 1 against the Denver Nuggets.

Despite the loss, the Mavericks have played a league-high 26 clutch games and are 10-16 in those contests. Anthony Davis did not play, and Dallas dropped to 4-14 without him.

The Mavericks appeared poised to take control before Portland (13-20) went on a decisive 7-0 run in the fourth quarter to seize a lead it would not relinquish.

Dallas will have a few days off before returning to action against the Philadelphia 76ers on Jan. 1.