DALLAS -- Things looked dire for the Dallas Mavericks as the Portland Trail Blazers had their largest lead of the game at 86-70 with just 11:47 left in regulation. Instead of tucking their collective tails and giving up, Dallas battled back. Dallas closed the fourth quarter on a 13-2 run, capped off by a Dirk Nowitzki 3-point basket with 20.9 seconds left to tie the game and force overtime.

Mavs coach Rick Carlisle has seen a lot of basketball, with a lot of crazy finishes. His team's resolve and character down the stretch showed him something.

"Earning that win is one of the best wins we've had in the seven years I've been here, if you look at all the circumstances of the game," Carlisle said.

Chandler Parsons gave the Mavs a big lift in overtime during their win over the Trail Blazers. Danny Bollinger/NBAE/Getty Images

For nearly 3½ quarters, Dallas did a lot of things that have doomed them over the course of the season: They couldn't rebound, they gave up 3-point shots, they turned the ball over and they made things difficult for themselves on offense.

As Dallas was on life support in the fourth quarter, Portland couldn't quite put them away. The Blazers turned the ball over nine times in the period for eight critical points and went just 4-of-15 from the field. With a chance to steal the game still lingering, the Mavs took advantage.

"A lot of things had to go right for us, there had to be a lot of belief that we could still win to keep fighting like that, and our guys deserve credit for that," Carlisle said. "They hung in there and basically pitched a shutout in the last two minutes to get to overtime, and then we got some momentum. I'm proud of the guys. That was a hard game, and that's a heavyweight team in the West."

Nowitzki's high-arching swish from the top of the key with 20 seconds proved to be a haymaker that stunned the heavyweight foe.

Carlisle called Nowitzki's shot a "microcosm" of the game. The Mavs had to scramble on their last offensive possession in regulation. Monta Ellis missed a 3-point basket, but Devin Harris recovered the offensive rebound. As the Mavs passed the ball around, Nowitzki found himself open.

"I just slipped out and had a little daylight," Nowitzki said. "I figured it was now or never, and I had to drill it. I was able to make it."

The Big German went 5-of-8 in the fourth quarter for a total of 11 points. As Nowitzki got the team to overtime, Mavs forward Chandler Parsons carried the team to the finish line in overtime.

Parsons recorded 20 points, including 10 in overtime, to go along with nine rebounds, four assists and three steals in 40 minutes. Looking as comfortable and confident as ever, Parsons outscored the entire Blazers squad in overtime and went a perfect 3-of-3 from the extra session.

"It just kind of happened," Parsons said of his overtime outburst. "I got to the foul line pretty easy, and then I hit a shot. I saw they were switching [Damian] Lillard onto me. I just tried to make plays. I had struggled all game long, so I needed to help our team. This was a big win for us."

The victory proves to be a massive swing game for Dallas. Instead of losing for the 12th time in 14 games against teams currently in the West playoff picture, the Mavericks pulled to within mere percentage points behind Portland for fourth place.

One way or another, the Mavs were able to pull out a character-defining win from the jaws of defeat.

"You wouldn't have drawn it up quite like this. When you're down 16 and getting your ass kicked, it's not feeling like one of those nights at all. It's feeling like more of the same," Carlisle said. "The key thing in sport is to keep fighting, stay persistent, keep believing in each other. That's what our guys did.

"There were a few times during the game where we hung our heads a little bit when they were making plays. In the last six minutes, we were as strong as you could be, mentally and physically."