DALLAS -- It took until the stroke of midnight and then five more minutes, but after the dust settled on a crazy game in Sacramento with the Los Angeles Lakers needing overtime to finally seize the No. 2 seed, the No. 3 Dallas Mavericks learned they'd face the No. 6 Portland Trail Blazers in the first round of the 2011 NBA playoffs.

The series will start Saturday at 8:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center.

"Our record is 0-0. It's the first team to four," Mavs point guard Jason Kidd said of the first-round, best-of-7 series. "We're going to have our hands full in the first round. We're going to have to pay attention to the small details if want to have a chance to advance. The big thing is this is a veteran ballclub, so we know what it takes."

The Mavs beat the Hornets Wednesday night, 121-89, to force the Lakers into a must-win for the No. 2 seed. The Lakers were cruising until the Kings outscored them 29-11 in the fourth quarter. Kobe Bryant hit a 3-pointer with 8.4 seconds left to tie it and force overtime. The Lakers scored as many points in the OT as they did in the fourth quarter to pull it out.

Had the Kings pulled of the victory, the Mavs would have been awarded the No. 2 seed and would have welcomed back the Hornets this weekend.

Here's the Mavs' first-round schedule:
Game 1: Sat., April 16, Portland at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (ESPN)
Game 2: Tue., April 19, Portland at Dallas, 8:30 p.m. (TNT)
Game 3: Thu., April 21, Dallas at Portland, 9:30 p.m. (TNT)
Game 4: Sat., April 23, Dallas at Portland, 4 p.m. (TNT)
If necessary
Game 5: Mon., April 25, Portland at Dallas, TBD
Game 6: Thu., April 28, Dallas at Portland, TBD
Game 7: Sat., April 30, Portland at Dallas, TBD

Other first-round matchups:
1. Spurs vs. 8. Grizzlies
2. Lakers vs. 7. Hornets
4. Thunder vs. 5. Nuggets