DALLAS _ As the season-opening losing streak grew to historic proportions Friday night, it was hard to believe that wasn't the worst news of the evening.
Portland's 105-95 victory over the Mavericks dropped them to 0-5, the worst start to a season in franchise history.
And Rick Carlisle said afterward that Dirk Nowitzki will be "shut down" for at least a week to give his sore right Achilles time to recuperate.
Nowitzki left Friday's game after playing 16 first-half minutes.
"He's going to be out for a while," Carlisle said. "We'll update (things) in about seven days. He didn't reinjure the Achilles, it's just lingering. It's not getting better the way it needs to, so we got to shut him down.
"Is it bad news, yes. But we'll get through it. His health is the most important thing. He's more than willing to continue playing, but it's pretty obvious that things just aren't right. We've got to do the right thing here and back him off and get it fixed."
Nowitzki missed two games after playing 38 minutes in the opener and the thinking was that the time off would help his sore Achilles settle down.
That clearly didn't work.
Nowitzki never made it back onto the court after halftime because of soreness in his right Achilles. He had five points and seven rebounds in 16 first-half minutes. He wasn't moving like a gazelle, but then again, he never does.
The Mavericks quickly ruled him out for the rest of the game. He joined Andrew Bogut, who was absent for personal reasons, and Devin Harris (right foot) on the shelf. The Mavericks also lost Wesley Matthews briefly in the first half when he went down clutching his right knee. Matthews played his regular minutes in the second half.
Carlisle said Matthews was banged up and that Deron Williams also got roughed up near the end of the game.
The epidemic of injuries is clearly taking a toll. The Mavericks look uneven at best offensively with a lot of individual play and virtually no transition offense.
And, of course, the defensive problems are becoming obvious. They had no clue how to put the cuffs on Lillard, who put on an incredible shooting show. He pulled up from 34-feet twice in the third quarter. The first was shot-clock induced, but the second was not. He simply pulled up and fired, taking a page from the Steph Curry playbook. He finished with 42 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Mavericks kept the pressure on the Blazers, never falling completely out of touch. A Harrison Barnes reverse layup made it 97-91 with still more than two minutes to go. And they had a chance to cut further into the lead, but a Deron Williams turnover led to Mason Plumlee's slam and an eight-point Portland lead with 1:58 left.
Lillard was fantastic all night and he got help from Plumlee with 19 points and former Maverick Al-Farouq Aminu, who had 12 points and 10 rebounds.
The Mavericks had little to be excited about. The news was bad all the way around with the outcome and Nowitzki taking an early leave.
They were left to wonder when that first win will come and if they will be doomed for "one of those seasons" that they haven't had in forever.
