MyDallasMavs: Mavs Can't Fight Off Rival Spurs, losing 97-91

The Spurs came to the AAC to play the Mavs for a fourth time this season. In their first two meetings, the Mavs were without Dirk due to his knee injury and lost both times. The second time, Dirk was back and the Mavs beat their long time rivals. The Mavs looked to even out the series this game but failed when the Spurs took the lead after a minute and held on to it the entire game, winning it 97-91.

The Spurs were sitting on a 30 point loss from Miami for three days so it was no surprise that they would come to the AAC looking to play hard for a win, and they did just that.

Haywood returned to the lineup after missing two games with back pain but Stojakovic sat out his sixth game with a stiff neck. Stevenson took the starting spot for Peja, after Marion and Brewer have already done so before.

Just 42 seconds into the game, after being down 2-0, Popovich called a 20-second time after getting frustrated with the Spurs' defense. From that point on, the Mavs would never lead again. The Spurs went on a 10-0 run and Parker and Duncan quickly led their team to a double-digit lead. The Spurs took a 30-20 lead after the first quarter.

From then, things only got worse for the Mavs as the Spurs soared to an 18 point lead. Dallas finally started to pick up their defense and make great stops as they to cruised to a 12-2 run. At this point, Chandler picked up his third foul and was forced to sit. With the additional help from Marion the Mavs went on an 11-2 run to end the second quarter down just 50-45.

After Marion injured his wrist late in the second quarter, news was told to the Mavs that sounded very familiar: he would not return. His x-rays came back negative after the game, but his status remains day-to-day.

With Marion's 13 first-half points, the Mavs' bench outscored the Spurs 27-11 at the half. They also outshot the Spurs 50% to 43.5%.

With Marion out after his outstanding performance, The Mavs knew they lost an important player who helped get their momentum going into the half. Roddy and Dirk soon came to help as the Mavs tied the game at 60 halfway through the third quarter. The Spurs didn't let the Mavs gain the lead as they responded with a 9-0 run. They ended the third quarter with the lead over the Mavs 73-66.

Within the first minute of the fourth quarter, Chandler picked up his fifth foul. Turnovers continued to be a problem for Dallas as the Spurs continued to score. Both teams went scoreless after four minutes into the fourth quarter, but Terry ended the drought as he went on a personal 5-0 run to cut the deficit to two, 73-71, with just under eight minutes left to go in the game. The Spurs missed 13 straight shot attempts in the fourth. Although the Mavs' were able to catch up, they weren't able to fully take advantage of the Spurs' shooting slump. Gary Neal soon set a spark for the Spurs, hitting a 3-pointer to extend their lead but the Mavs continued to fight to stay in the game. Ginobili and Parker hit back-to-back 3-pointers, putting their lead pretty much on lock. Ginobili had an and-1, drawing Chandler's sixth foul of the night as he fouled out of the game with just under four minutes to go. Terry hit a 3-pointer to pull the Mavs' within four with just a minute to go but it wasn't enough as the Spurs went to the foul line and ended the game with their 3rd win against Dallas, 97-91.

Despite the loss, Dallas outshot the Spurs 49% to 43% and out-rebounded them 41-36. But turnovers were a huge problem for the Mavs as the Spurs scored 25 points off their 19 turnovers.

This was Dallas' fifth loss in eight games, all to potential playoff opponents.

Dirk was the only starter in double-figures, leading the team with 23 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Three other players who scored in double-figures were Terry with 19 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists, and Marion and Barea both with 13 points. Roddy added 8 points and Kidd added 7 points and 9 assists.

For the Spurs, Parker led the team with 33 points. The only other players with double-figures were Ginobili with 25 and Duncan with 22.

Next, the Mavs take on the Golden State Warriors in the AAC. Dallas leads the series 2-0, after coming back from an 18-point deficit to win last Wednesday night.