DALLAS -- Clyde Drexler and Jerome Kersey keyed a final run in the fourth quarter Tuesday night, ending a Dallas comeback and moving the Portland Trail Blazers into the Western Conference semifinals with a 106-92 victory over the Mavericks.
Portland's three-game sweep in the best-of-five series marked the first time in five years the Trail Blazers have advanced past the opening round of the playoffs.
The Mavericks cut a 17-point deficit in the third period to just two with 5:20 to go, but Kersey and Drexler sparked a 10-2 run over the next three minutes ended the Dallas surge.
Portland played the last three periods without starting forward Buck Williams, who was elbowed in the eye by James Donaldson and taken to a local hospital as a precaution. The Trail Blazers also lost starting center Kevin Duckworth with a hand injury during the third period.
Meanwhile, Dallas forward Roy Tarpley played despite suffering from the flu and had a miserable night, and Mavericks' guard Derek Harper played with back spasms.
Kersey led the Trail Blazers with 29 points, while Drexler and Terry Porter both had 20. Rolando Blackman scored 20 points for the Mavericks and Herb Williams had 17.
Porter and Cliff Robinson fueled an 18-2 run late in the second quarter that appeared to have taken the fight out of Dallas. That rush brought Portland a 58-43 halftime advantage and that lead grew to 70-53 midway through the third quarter.
But Dallas scored the last eight points of the third period and outscored Portland 8-4 in the early moments of the fourth quarter.
The rally reached its climax when Harper hit a three-pointer that cut Dallas' deficit to 87-85. Over the next three minutes, the only Mavericks' points came on a short jumper by Sam Perkins as Portland built a 97-87 lead.
Portland advanced to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since 1985, when they eliminated the Mavericks in four games before losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in five.
Dallas was swept in the opening round of the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.
