"Unbelievable tank job" - NBA fans react to Dallas Mavericks sans Luka Doncic erasing Blazers' late 10-point lead 

The Dallas Mavericks bucked the absence of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 117-110 on Thursday. Without the Doncic-Irving tandem, the Mavericks relied on a balanced attack to pull out the win despite trailing by 10 points late in the fourth quarter. Dereck Lively II led the rally with 13 points in the final frame.

Fans promptly reacted on X/Twitter to the Trail Blazers’ collapse that allowed the Mavs to escape with a win:

“Unbelievable tank job.”

@prestoluh said:

“Portland has the worst offensive approach I've seen of any team. It's just Simons and Sharpe ball hogging and dribbling around looking for their shots.”

@The_Scoreloard added:

“Shaedon Sharpe tank commander.”

One fan commented:

“Watched Simmons sold this game like it was on sale.”

Another fan reacted:

“Mission accomplished by Portland.”

The Portland Trail Blazers led 91-81 early in the fourth quarter after Scoot Henderson made two free throws. Chauncey Billups’ team kept the Dallas Mavericks out for most of the final frame. Trail Blazers forward Toumani Camara sank a 24-footer to give Portland a 109-99 advantage with 4:33 remaining.

However, Dallas uncorked a 16-0 blast that was capped off by Quentin Grimes’ floater that pushed the Mavs ahead 115-109. Portland didn’t score again until Camara evaded PJ Washington for a dunk with 26.1 seconds left in the game.

Anfernee Simons went 0-of-4 in the last four minutes and committed two turnovers. During the same stretch, Shaedon Sharpe went 0-of-2, committing three fouls and two turnovers. Dallas’ defense shut them down late in the Mavericks’ come-from-behind win.

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Dallas Mavericks win season series against Portland Trail Blazers

Following Thursday’s loss, the Dallas Mavericks won the season series 3-1 against the Portland Trail Blazers. Dallas beat Portland 137-131 on Dec. 1 before taking a 2-0 series lead with a 132-108 victory on Dec. 23.

The Blazers pulled off a 126-122 upset on Dec. 28 despite Kyrie Irving erupting for 46 points. Simons and Co. raced to a big lead early before holding on for the win. The final matchup seemed to go Portland’s way until the Trail Blazers collapsed late.

The Dallas Mavericks improved to 22-16 following the win, while the Portland Trail Blazers dropped to 13-24.