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Blazers' Stotts credits Lillard for successful coach's challenge

Steve Dykes / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Credit this one to Damian Lillard.

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts said Sunday that his decision to make an ultimately successful coach's challenge on a key foul call late in the club's win over the Dallas Mavericks came from Lillard's insistence.

"If Dame hadn't been so adamant, I probably wouldn't have challenged," Stotts said, according to ESPN's Tim MacMahon.

With the Blazers up by one point with 8.4 seconds left, Lillard was whistled for a foul on the Mavs' Dorian Finney-Smith. The call was overturned after the challenge, and Portland hung on for the 121-119 win.

Stotts has now won two of his three challenges this season.

On the other side, Mavs owner Mark Cuban was not happy.

"From the angles we saw in arena, it looked like a clean strip but body contact first," Cuban tweeted.

"Fans in our arena have no idea why the foul was overturned. That’s not the way this should work," he added.

Coaches are allowed one challenge per game and lose a timeout if it's unsuccessful. The rule is on a one-year trial run.

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