Mavs vs. Blazers review

The game itself might not have been pretty, but the results and its implications certainly were.

Led by Dirk Nowitzki's 40 points the Mavs defeated Portland for the first time in four attempts with an 83-77 victory. The win clinched the Southwest division title for the Mavs and vaulted them back into second place in the West. With their toughest remaining challenge in the victory column the Mavs now find themselves in very good shape for that #2 seed as long as they take care or their remaining business. The victory also gives Dallas wins over every NBA team this season.

In a game where points were hard to come by the Mavs needed their franchise player even more than usual and Nowitzki carried the team on offense as he accounted for nearly half of the team's points and made all 17 of his free throws.

The entire team did the job on the defensive end especially on the Blazers backcourt duo of Brandon Roy and Andre Miller. Roy was hounded into scoring only 13 points on 4-14 shooting, while Miller who burned Dallas for 52 points earlier this season scored only 6 on 2-12 shooting. With this effort combined with the game against Memphis the Mavs are showing the defensive intensity they will need come playoff time.

For now though the team must continue to finish the season strong as they look to secure the West's second best record and gain serious momentum entering the postseason.