The MRI on Dirk Nowitzki's right knee came back negative and he played in the San Antonio game. San Antonio at Dallas (April 7) For the 4th time this season, Dallas and San Antonio played each other with a key player missing. This time it was the Spurs turn to be without a key player as Tim Duncan is still out with his sprained ankle (Michael Finley missed the first 2 games and Erick Dampier and Josh Howard missed the 3rd game - the Spurs won all 3). San Antonio was also playing the 2nd night of a back-to-back. Dallas led 6-2 with 9:30 remaining and would hold a small lead the rest of the quarter. San Antonio pulled within 1 point 7 times, the last being at 19-20 with 1:10 left. Dallas closed the quarter with a 6-1 mini-run to go up 26-20 after 1. Dallas shot 12-19 FG and San Antonio shot 8-21 FG. Neither team scored over the first 2 minutes of the 2nd quarter. Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper for Dallas with 9:35 remaining and Tony Parker answered with a jumper and Dallas' lead would flip-flop between 6 and 8 points over the next 4 minutes. Dallas scored 6 straight points to go up 44-30 with 1:15 to go. San Antonio scored the next 4 points and a free throw by Keith Van Horn capped the quarter scoring. Dallas led 45-34 at the half. I don't think anyone was expecting what came in the 3rd quarter. Dallas opened the quarter with a 17-2 run, including a number of highlight plays and capped by 9 straight points by Van Horn, to take a commanding 62-36 lead with 6:15 to go. The Spurs' only bucket came with 9:10 left and they also missed 2 free throws during the run. Dallas' last bucket during the run came after Van Horn tipped the ball away, Devin Harris picked up the loose ball and was facing the Spurs' basket, Harris then threw the ball over his head and after one bounce, Van Horn got the blind pass and took it in for the dunk on the break. The 2nd highlight of the night gave Dallas their first 30 point lead of the night when Jerry Stackhouse drove into traffic and flipped the ball behind the back to Marquis Daniels for the dunk to put Dallas up 72-42 with 2:40 remaining. Dallas led 76-47 after 3. Van Horn had 10 points in the quarter. Dallas out-scored San Antonio 31-13 in the 3rd quarter as Dallas shot 13-24 FG and 5-6 FT and San Antonio shot just 2-17 FG and 9-12 FT. Things started to get physical and chippy in the 4th quarter with the Spurs being frustrated with their play and Dallas not backing down. San Antonio scored 5 straight points to pull within 56-80 with 8:40 to go, but would get no closer as Dallas answered with a 8-2 run to go up 88-58 with 7 minutes remaining and garbage time was on. Dallas scored 7 straight points to take their largest lead at 103-64 with a minute left. Dallas won 104-68. It was a real solid outing for Dallas and a real poor one for San Antonio. Dallas played good offense and defense and the Spurs struggled with both, obviously hurting minus their best player. Surprisingly, Dallas blew the Spurs out without using the 3-point line. Dallas only attempted 5 3-pointers through the first 3 quarters and their only made 3-pointer came midway through the 4th quarter. Dallas shot 1-8 3-pointers. And the Spurs didn't even make 1 3-pointer in missing all 12 they attempted - their first game this season without making a 3-pointer and tying the Dallas opponent record for most attempted without a make. But Dallas was solid inside the arc in out-scoring San Antonio 62-36 in the paint. Overall, Dallas shot 53.2% (42-79) FG and 19-26 FT. It is the 53rd straight game that Dallas was won when they shoot 50% or better (19-0 this season). San Antonio never found their offense and shot just 34.6% (27-78) FG and 14-21 FT. Add to the Spurs' poor shooting, poor rebounding and it is easy to see why the game was such a blowout. Dallas out-rebounded San Antonio 51-35 including 16-11 offensive. The only knock on Dallas was their low assists - the Mavs had just 19 assists despite scoring over 100 points. San Antonio only had 11 assists. The 36 point win margin was the 8th largest in team history and 68 points tied the opponent low for points in a game. With the blowout, the minutes were well shared and no Mav played more than 27 minutes (and 9 had 20 minutes or more). As such, there was no one dominating performance. 10 of Keith Van Horn's game high 17 points came in the 3rd quarter. He also had 7 rebounds in 22 minutes. Dirk Nowitzki had 16 points and 8 rebounds in a team high 27 minutes. One of his buckets was a pretty putback slam off a miss by Jason Terry. Josh Howard had 11 points and 4 rebounds in 23 minutes. Terry had 8 points including 4-5 FG, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 turnovers in 23 minutes. Michael Finley had 4 points on 2-7 FG, 2 rebounds, and 3 assists in 25 minutes. Erick Dampier played well in manning the middle. He had 8 points on 3-3 FG and 2-5 FT [his free throws reverted back to form], 6 rebounds, and 3 blocks in 24 foul limited minutes. He did have 4 turnovers, though, as he was butterfingers a couple of times. Devin Harris had the play of the day with highlight pass. He played well with 7 points including 2-3 FG, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 blocks in 25 minutes. 9 of Marquis Daniels' 13 points came in the 4th quarter. He also had 4 rebounds in 22 minutes. Jerry Stackhouse was fairly quiet except for his highlight assist to Daniels. Stack had 4 points on 2-8 FG, 2 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 turnovers in 20 minutes. Alan Henderson had a nice outing with a couple of putbacks and a drive bucket and even tossed in a hook shot. He had 12 points on 6-7 FG and 3 rebounds (all offensive) in 13 minutes. The Spurs did not have any performances worthy of note. No Spur had more than 12 points, 6 rebounds, or 3 assists. Just call it an off night for all and I'll spare them the embarrassment of mentioning their individual poor stats. Quotes Avery Johnson: "This was a terrific effort by the guys tonight. A lot of positives happened, especially on the defensive end. I think our confidence, effort, and energy were all good and we got off to a good start. With shutting them down in the 3rd quarter and them missing shots really changed the game. A lot of good things happened tonight against a good basketball team that didn't play the way they are capable." Johnson on the 3rd quarter: "That was one of the things we talked about at the half was coming out in the 3rd quarter. Our leaders on the team - Finley, Stack, Armstrong - were really on the guys about trying to come out and pay attention to detail. Against a team like the Spurs you can't have any lapses. I was proud of our effort." Johnson: "I was happy with the level of concentration defensively. I don't want to say it's the best [game] because it doesn't give us a goal to shoot for." Johnson on Duncan being out: "Whomever shows up, we're going to play. I'm only interested in how we play." Dirk Nowitzki: "It was a good defensive effort. But we don't want to over-write it too much. They were without Tim Duncan." Nowitzki on the game getting physical and chippy: "We probably would have done the same thing. They were down by 30 and got a little frustrated." Jerry Stackhouse: "I think we were able to put them on their heels with our defense." Stackhouse on Duncan being out: "We beat them soundly like we should have with them missing Tim Duncan. It would have been different if he'd been here, but I don't think it would have been 40 points different." Keith Van Horn on the 3rd quarter: "It was just a continuation of the way we started the game. We were a little concerned because we had been coming out sluggish in the 3rd quarter. We were a little more focused going into the 2nd half." Van Horn: "A lot of it had to do with our defense - steals, limiting them to 1 shot, getting those long rebounds, and really getting out into the open court. Our fast break is great, but it's even better when we can get those stops and get out and run." Jason Terry on defense: "It's definitely what we're trying to get to. It's a goal of ours. I wouldn't say we're there yet, but we want to be a defensive team." Devin Harris: "We definitely wanted to get that hump off our back. We lost the first 3 against them and the last one was kind of tough for us. Everyone came off focused tonight and we got it done on the defensive end. On the offensive end we got the kind of shots we wanted and it was on all around good win." Harris: "After halftime, we wanted to come out and force the issue and make them call a timeout early and that's what we did and we kept it on the remainder of the half." Harris on neither team backing down: "That's true. It was kind of like a playoff atmosphere, very physical. We didn't back down, they didn't back down and it was an all around good physical game. It's something that we need to get use to." Marquis Daniels: "That's something we have been focusing on all year is defensive principles - helping each other out, being on a string, and if someone gets beat you've got to be there to help your teammate. I think key was that we did a good job of that tonight." Daniels on not going 0-4 vs San Antonio: "Yes, it's always good. It's always good not to get swept by the Spurs or the Rockets because they're our in-state rival so it was good for us to come out tonight and get the victory." Daniels on if the win was lessened due to Duncan being out: "No because a victory is a victory. When we played them last, we lost by 2 without Josh and Dampier, and they didn't have Duncan tonight so it's the same thing. A win is a win." Gregg Popovich on the 2nd half: "They did a good job of getting us back on our heals. They attacked offensively; started out making a few shots. They were more aggressive and more physical than we were. They just out-played us in every way in the 2nd half." Popovich on Ginobili: "He was having a hard time with a back-to-back - it's one of the things we have to watch. But it has nothing to do with why Dallas won." Popovich on reviewing the game: "I only care about who played well and who didn't, and what things we did well and what things we did poorly as a team. That's what I will concentrate on when we look at the film." Tony Parker: "It was just a bad game. We couldn't hit shots. They played great. You can't think about Timmy. He's not going to be there for a while. We just have to come back and play better." Manu Ginobili: "I don't know what's the adjective, but it was pretty embarrassing. We knew we were not playing well but today was awful. We did a pretty decent job in the 1st half, but the first 4 minutes of the 3rd quarter killed us. Once they were all pumped up, with the talent they have, it was impossible to come back. Those 6 minutes [to start the 3rd quarter] were where we made our biggest mistakes." Ginobili on the loss: "I think this is going to help us. We have to be upset, angry. We can't let this happen again. We have to start playing tougher, harder, with more pride. It's just a game we know we really played bad. We are missing Tim a lot, especially on the road. We can't let this happen." Ginobili with Duncan out: "Maybe sometimes we try to do to much, be too aggressive, and make too many mistakes, especially me. But that's how it goes sometimes - I feel like I've got to give the team, or Tony [Parker] feels like he has to give too much when we are lacking without Tim. That drives us to make too many mistakes." Ginobili: "We don't say, 'It's just a loss, forget about it. We won 3 times against them.' No, not at all. They killed us. We just stunk." Ginobili: "We have led the division for the whole season, but now we have Seattle and Dallas closer than ever. We are not playing to get to the playoffs; we need to stay ahead and get better." Robert Horry: "You look at a game like that and you would have thought Dallas hit a lot of 3s. They hit only 1. That lets you know how bad we played." Horry on the game getting physical and chippy: "That's typical between Texas teams playing down the stretch. You've got guys who want to win. And we're frustrated because we got the [bleep] beat out of us." Horry on getting ready for the playoffs: "With us, we always worry about playing good defense. We get our defense clicking and we will be fine. We have some new additions and some people missing, so we just have to get some practice time and get to know each other." Dallas Mavericks 104, Antonio Spurs 68 at Dallas (April 7) 1st 2nd 3rd 4th - Final 2FG 3FG FG% FT% Dallas 26 19 31 28 - 104 .577 .125 .532 .731 San Antonio 20 14 13 21 - 68 .409 .000 .346 .667 Halftime: Dallas 45-34 3rd Q: Dallas 76-47 Technicals: Jerry Stackhouse 0:00 2nd, Emanuel Ginobili 0:00 2nd, Dirk Nowitzki 11:26 4th, Nazr Mohammed 11:26 4th Refs: Mike Callahan, Sean Corbin, Gary Zielinski Attendance: 20,418 (sellout) Dallas Mavericks REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Michael Finley 25 2-7 0-3 0-0 4 1-2 3 1 0 1 0 Jason Terry 23 4-5 0-0 0-0 8 1-3 2 3 2 1 0 Dirk Nowitzki 27 6-13 0-0 4-4 16 1-8 0 0 0 1 1 Josh Howard 23 5-8 0-0 1-1 11 0-4 1 0 3 0 0 Erick Dampier 24 3-3 0-0 2-5 8 2-6 1 4 5 1 3 Devin Harris 25 2-3 0-0 3-4 7 0-6 5 1 2 2 3 Keith Van_Horn 22 6-12 0-3 5-7 17 1-7 1 1 3 2 0 Marquis Daniels 22 5-8 0-0 3-3 13 2-4 1 2 3 1 1 Jerry Stackhouse 20 2-8 0-0 0-0 4 1-2 3 3 3 0 0 Alan Henderson 13 6-7 0-0 0-0 12 3-5 0 1 3 0 1 Shawn Bradley 10 0-3 0-0 1-2 1 3-3 0 0 1 1 2 Darrell Armstrong 6 1-2 1-2 0-0 3 1-1 2 1 0 0 0 Totals 48 42-79 1-8 19-26 104 16-51 19 18 25 10 11 San Antonio Spurs REB Player MIN FGM-FGA 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA PTS O-T AST TO PF STL BLK Tony Parker 23 5-13 0-1 1-2 11 0-1 0 3 2 1 0 Emanuel Ginobili 17 1-9 0-2 0-4 2 1-4 2 0 1 2 0 Bruce Bowen 29 2-6 0-1 1-2 5 1-2 1 1 1 1 1 Robert Horry 20 0-4 0-2 0-0 0 2-4 0 1 2 0 1 Radoslav Nesterovic 19 3-6 0-0 0-0 6 3-6 1 1 3 1 1 Beno Udrih 23 1-6 0-4 1-2 3 0-0 2 2 1 0 0 Brent Barry 23 2-5 0-2 8-8 12 0-2 0 3 3 1 0 Sean Marks 21 2-3 0-0 2-2 6 0-3 1 1 2 0 2 Glenn Robinson 20 3-7 0-0 0-0 6 0-4 0 2 3 1 0 Mike Wilks 18 3-6 0-0 0-0 6 1-3 3 3 2 1 0 Nazr Mohammed 14 2-7 0-0 0-0 4 2-3 0 1 2 0 0 Tony Massenburg 13 3-6 0-0 1-1 7 1-3 1 0 2 0 3 Totals 48 27-78 0-12 14-21 68 11-35 11 19 24 8 8 patricia