*Howard's 23 points help Mavericks cruise past Trail Blazers*
DALLAS (Ticker) -- Josh Howard and the Dallas Mavericks continued to mistreat a Western Conference foe - the Portland Trail Blazers.
Howard scored 23 points and grabbed a season-high 14 rebounds as the Mavericks cruised past the Trail Blazers, 91-80, on Friday.
Jason Terry scored 17 points and Devin Harris had 14 and seven assists for Dallas, which has won two in a row following a season-high three-game losing streak.
The Mavericks also continued their domination of the Trail Blazers, winning for the 14th time in 15 games vs. Portland, including nine straight here.
Dallas hadn't lost to Portland since December 23, 2003 until the Blazers captured their first win in the series in nearly four years with a 91-82 victory on November 10.
Portland is now 0-8 away from home this season.
Howard, who connected on 8-of-15 from the floor and collected his second double-double of the season, scored 14 points in the first half to help Dallas take a 44-36 halftime lead.
The fourth-year forward, who also went 7-of-7 from the free-throw line, scored six in the third as the Mavericks increased their advantage to 76-59, heading into the final period.
Dallas, which made 14-of-19 field goals in the third, shot 45 percent (37-of-82) overall.
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 22 points and hauled in 12 boards for Portland, which shot 43 percent (32-of-74) and has lost 12 straight on the road dating to last season.
Steve Blake scored 12 points and handed out five assists for the Trail Blazers, who reduced their deficit to 86-80 with 1:49 left before the Mavericks extended out to their winning margin.
