San Anotonio Spurs restrict the Dallas Mavericks to a 99-93 loss on home ground
With the leading scorer scoring 21 points and grabbing just five team rebounds, the Spurs defeated the Mavericks on their home ground. The Mavericks had Caron Butler coming out with 30 points but still the team could not resist the high defence the Spurs
held them to.
Game stats
The Spurs were in benefit throughout the game. They had 50-35 rebounding advantage. They covered 7-4 offensive rebounds and took the biggest lead at 16 points while limiting the Mavericks to six. Both the teams had 34 points in the paint. The Mavericks led
in fast break points, 10-9. The Spurs gave away as many as 14 turnovers whereas Dallas held onto just 10.
More than 20,000 basketball fans witnessed the assault by the Spurs on the Mavericks. The lead changed just once and the game was tied six times. The Spurs let the Mavericks take the lead just once in the opening of the first quarter and after that they
never let them pass at it.
Spurs rookie Gary Neal pinned 21 points, Tim Duncan added 17 and grabbed 11 rebounds while the Mavericks ran wild finding ways to move past them. Two players were milestones to the victory and they were Gary Neal and Manu Ginobili who paired up to hit nine
three pointers.
The Spurs played a conscious and meticulous game. The Spurs showed up shiny and were heavy on the box score. They went on to shoot 46.1 percent on the field, holding off the Mavericks to just 42.7 percent. The Mavericks went to shoot 43.5 percent three pointers
and held the leading team to 39.3 percent. The Mavericks were 86.7 on free throw attempts where as the Spurs were 78.3 in the same.
Butler scored 30 for the Mavericks and had 30 points whereas point guard Jason Kidd scored in triple double figures. He scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and gave 13 assists to his team.
Encouraging
San Antonio’s head coach Gregg Popovich sounded very encouraging as he praised the losing team also, "Any win is a good win, and on the road, they're even sweeter. We were fortunate in a lot of ways. I don't think we were sharp, and I thought Dallas showed
a lot of character."
Turning point
The Spurs started an 8-2 run In the final two minutes of the third quarter. That turn gave them a 71-64 advantage into the game. The Mavericks lost five shots during that time. Manu Ginobili’s three pointer in the beginning of the fourth quarter stretched
the lead further and the Spurs held a 78-68 advantage over Dallas.
HOT!
The Spurs came out with a healthy score from the bench. They teamed up to edge 15 for 27 from the field and went 6 for 7 from the line, savouring 42 points.
Weakest player
Jason Terry went flat even although being Mavericks’ second leading scorer. His average is 15.8 per game but the player could only score eight. He went 3 for 16 from the field and was just 1 for 10 as he leaped into the fourth quarter.
Confessions
"We just couldn't get over the hump," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle sounded disappointed as he summed up his confession. "It was tough, it was frustrating, but our guys kept battling. I take the positives out of it, but right now we've got to
really work together. Without Dirk in the lineup, the margins for error are extremely slim."
Coming up next
For the Mavericks, Saturday @ Bucks, Sunday @ Cavaliers, Tuesday vs. Portland.
For the Spurs, Saturday vs. Thunder, Tuesday @ Knicks, Wednesday @ Celtics.
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