O.J. Mayo continues to show why he ought to be a starter in the NBA.

After spending the past two seasons coming off the bench for Memphis, Mayo had his 2nd straight game of 30 points or more as a member of Dallas’ starting lineup.

After scoring 30 in win over Charlotte Bobcats, he poured in 32 and the Mavericks pulled away in the 4th quarter to beat the Portland Trail Blazers 114-91 at American Airlines Center.

The Dallas Mavericks improved to 3-1 with their 2nd consecutive win at home, while Portland fell to 2-2.

Mayo’s two 30-point games represented his highest scoring games in 3 years, and the 5th-year guard has drilled 13 of 18 3-pointers in the last 2 games.

“I like how he’s playing under control,” Dallas Coach Rick Carlisle declared. “And he’s making other guys better.”

Mayo’s comfort level with his new squad is rising.

Dallas point guard Darren Collison added 14 points and 16 assists, his 2nd double-double in a row. Chris Kaman had 16 points off the bench. The Dallas shot 61.5 percent after knocking down 61.3 percent against the Bobcats.

LaMarcus Aldridge and Wesley Matthews paced the Blazers with 20 points apiece. Rookie point guard Damian Lillard had 13 points and 5 assists, but he shot 2-of-13.

The Dallas Mavericks turned a close game into a rout with a 10-0 run in the 4th quarter to open up a 95-83 lead. Kaman and Dominique Jones each scored 4 points in the spurt to give Dallas its 1st double-digit lead since the 1st quarter.

The Blazers were able to stay close for a lot of the game, which featured a battle of similar styles. Portland and Dallas are near mirror images of one another offensively, and it makes sense. Stotts spent the previous 4 years on Carlisle’s staff.

Mayo’s sizzling performance in 3ed quarter kept the Maverick ahead going into the 4th. He drilled all 4 of his shots in the period, each coming from beyond the arc. Excluding Mayo, Dallas was only 4-for-15 from the floor in the 3rd quarter.

Dallas went into the locker room holding a slim 57-55 halftime lead behind 16 points from Mayo. The Mavericks led across the half, but weren’t able to shake the scrappy Blazers despite shooting 63.4 percent.

Portland shot 50% thru the first 2 quarters and kept close by pounding the glass, particularly after missed shots. The Blazers had 8 offensive rebounds, leading to an 11-3 edge in 2nd-chance points.

Aldridge had 15 points and Matthews added 12 by halftime. Lillard (8 points) and Meyers Leonard (6 points, 7 rebounds) were also productive in the 1st half.

Kaman came off the bench for Mavericks with 10 points on a perfect 5-for-5 shooting. Collison had 8 points and 8 assists in the first half. Football scores

Mayo had the hot hand early for the Mavericks. He scored 12 of Dallas’ 1st 22 points as the local side took control early.

The Blazers found themselves down 20-10 after Mayo drilled a 3-pointer midway through the opening period. Portland began to crawl its way back behind Aldridge, Nicolas Batum and Lillard.