The Spurs missed all seven of their 3-point attempts and one of their top players suffered a broke nose during the third quarter. Yet, San Antonio drifted past Dallas Friday night to take a 2-1 lead in the all-Texas playoff series. The Spurs closed out a 94-90 win at AT&T Center behind Tim Duncan’s 25 points and Manu Ginobili’s fourth quarter spurt while playing hurt. Tony Parker poured in 23 for the Spurs, who roughed it out in Game 3 of the Western conference quarterfinals. Ginobili was elbowed by the Mavericks’ Dirk Nowitski , but returned to the court with a bandaged nose and deposited 7-of-8 from the line to key the surging Spurs to victory. Paul Pierce may have sunk the game-winner for Boston last night, but Ginobili was the ultimate gamer for the Spurs.
The physical Texas tussle began with the Spurs taking the opening quarter edge after allowing Dallas to score the first four points of the game. San Antonio led by as many as eight points as Dallas, the best road team in the NBA, couldn’t find their road rhythm. The Mavs came back to outscore the Spurs 28-23 in the second quarter to make it a 47-44 deficit at the half. Duncan scored 16 first half points and Parker pounded the perimeter as the Spurs seized control. San Antonio converted 16 Dallas turnovers into 21 points, but the Mavericks kept it close by drilling 76% of their free throws and notching 40% from the arc. Dallas guard, Jason Terry, made four 3-pointers and Nowitski added a game high 35 points in the loss. Parker and Ginobili combined for 20 points in the final 12 minutes of the game. Duncan continued his resurgence as a premier player in the league. The fundamentally sound Duncan is averaging 26 points and 12 boards against the Mavericks in this series. The Dallas defense couldn’t contain the Big Three in the final quarter following a commendable third quarter comeback. Dallas was inconsistent on defense and stagnant on offense. The Mavs totaled just 14 fast-break points and committed four shot-clock violations. Such mistakes are inexcusable for a team known for running the court and playing crisper basketball.
The Spurs were down 70-66 going into the fourth quarter after the Mavericks unloaded a second half blitz and found their juice on offense. J.J. Barea was relentless for Dallas off the bench, securing 14 points and four assists. Nowitski and Barea were the catalysts for the visiting team until Ginobili’s gallant and gutsy return ripped their vivacity. Ginobili came through with 15 points and 7 assists and Parker was unstoppable for Gregg Popovich’s squad. George Hill chipped in 17 points and logged 45 minutes as the Spurs’ secret weapon. Nowitski’s jumper with three minutes remaining gave the Mavericks a 81-80 advantage but Parker’s 6-0 run provided the Spurs the lead for good. Parker knotted nine of his 23 during the final two minutes of the game. Ginobili capped an 8-0 San Antonio run with a pair of free throws to retire the Mavericks .Nowitski’s hot hand wasn’t enough to power the Mavs. The German big man was in dire need of his supporting cast on foreign hardwood (even though Dallas is not far from San Antonio, it was technically foreign) Jason Kidd managed seven buckets and as many assists, while blocking two shots. Dallas showed some urgency on defense in the second half, but it wasn’t intense enough to stick. The second seeded Mavericks’ defense went in the direction the team traveled to Game 3: south. It would be awfully hard for Dallas to win three consecutive games against the seventh seeded sprinting Spurs with the defense they displayed Friday.
Parting Points: “Integrity has no need of rules”- Albert Camus
90’s band of the weekend- Sugar Ray
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