Jefferson leads short-handed Spurs past Mavs

By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer Nov 12, 2:32 am EST

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SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Tim Duncan(notes) and Tony Parker(notes) couldn’t get San Antonio past Dallas in the playoffs, but the Spurs didn’t even need their All-Star duo this time.

Richard Jefferson(notes) scored 29 points and the Spurs won again without their two biggest stars, beating the Mavericks 92-83 on Wednesday night in the first rematch since Dallas swiftly booted its division rivals from the playoffs last season.

Back then, Parker and Duncan had virtually no supporting cast while the Mavs ousted them from the first round in five games, San Antonio’s earliest playoff exit since 2000.

If this was payback, most of the Spurs’ starting lineup had no score to settle.

“I remember walking out in the second half and we were starting four guys that are new for this team,” said Jefferson, who had his best game since being traded from Milwaukee this summer. “To have a little success, to give some new guys some extra minutes in the season, is good.”

Dirk Nowitzki(notes) scored 29 points and 12 rebounds, but the Mavs were done in by awful shooting. Nowitzki was 9 of 27 from the floor, Josh Howard(notes) was 2 of 11 to finish with eight points, and the Mavs shot 35 percent as a team.

Nowitzki, who scored 29 points in the fourth quarter a week ago in a win over the Utah Jazz, had 10 in the fourth when Dallas cut a 15-point deficit down to four with under four minutes left. But the rally stalled when Matt Bonner’s(notes) 3-pointer pushed the lead back to seven.

Bonner’s shot came after a missed jumper by Nowitzki, who said he “pressed a little bit” in the second half.

“I probably took a couple of shots that I shouldn’t have taken,” he said. “But hey, we still had a chance.”

Jason Terry(notes) added 19 points for the Mavericks and Shawn Marion(notes) had 11.

Jason Kidd(notes), who had five points on 2 of 6 shooting and nine assists, said too much fell on Nowitzki.

“We asked him to do way too much tonight,” Kidd said. “We asked him to carry the load offensively, defensively and that was just not right for us as a teammate and as a team to put him in that position.”

Manu Ginobili(notes) had 13 points off the bench while Parker and Duncan continued to rest their sore left ankles. Both were injured Friday night in a loss at Portland and sat out their second consecutive game.

Duncan participated in shootaround about an hour before Wednesday’s game but, like Parker, sat on the bench in street clothes. At least one of them is likely to play Saturday against Oklahoma City, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, though he didn’t hint as to which one.

The injuries are considered mild.

George Hill(notes) scored 11 points in his second start for Parker for the Spurs, who watched the Mavs celebrate advancing to the second round following an easy Game 5 win the last time Dallas came to town.

This one didn’t look much like last time.

Aside from four members of San Antonio’s starting lineup being new to the Spurs there was Ginobili, who was 3 of 8 from behind the arc after sitting out the Mavs series last spring with two bad ankles.

Ginobili’s shot at the halftime buzzer—a 3-pointer heaved in front of the scorer’s table—finished a 22-8 run that put Dallas at arm’s length until the fourth quarter.

The traditionally defense-first Spurs have been anything but so far, entering Wednesday’s game allowing an average of 102.5 points per game, putting them in the bottom third of the league. Popovich struggled to explain the slack defense before the game but noted it was slow to catch on last season, too.

He’ll feel better about this effort: the Spurs held the Mavs to their fewest points this season.

Keith Bogans(notes) had 13 points for the Spurs and was 3-of-6 from behind the arc.

NOTES: The Spurs trotted out their third different starting lineup in three games. … Mavs F Drew Gooden(notes), benched in his final game during his brief Spurs stint last season, scored two points in 9 minutes. Gooden was playing his second consecutive game since missing four because of a strained rib cage muscle.

Updated Nov 12, 2:32 am EST
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53 Comments

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  1. Stephen P
    52. Posted by Stephen P Fri Nov 13 12:25am EST

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    To all those who think that the Spurs are better off with Duncan and Parker on the bench please share, it's not nice to toke alone. with them in the starting line-up, they will play the Celtics in the NBA finals, without them they won't get out of the first round of the playoffs.
  2. paa
    51. Posted by paa Thu Nov 12 10:17pm EST

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    After Toronto's Jay Triano was schooled by the Master Greg Popovich. Its the Mav's Rick Carlisle's turn to be schooled. Experienced & smart is Greg Popovich in using his bench.
  3. paa
    50. Posted by paa Thu Nov 12 10:17pm EST

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    After Toronto's Jay Triano was schooled by the Master Greg Popovich. Its the Mav's Rick Carlisle's turn to be schooled. Experienced & smart is Greg Popovich in using his bench.
  4. MavsForLife
    49. Posted by MavsForLife Thu Nov 12 10:16pm EST

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    J ho sucks again with missed jumpers period --- coach should have bench him after 3 missed jump shots.. he's the only reason we lost and will lose if he continues to burn all those shots and playing time taken away from the rising horse humpphres --- stupid move by coaching staff - hope jay ho will be out definitely
  5. Jonathan G
    48. Posted by Jonathan G Thu Nov 12 8:26pm EST

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    man you cant look at dirk wrong or they'll call a foul.. and whats up with him screaming like a girl after he made a jumper? was that him trying to get pumped up? i thought he was reciting a ramstein song.. and typical little female dog that jason terry is always complaining about every call. being from tx i'd probably go for the mav's also if they got rid of dirk and the fake jet and that pickle licker cuban.. but until than two middle fingers to the mav's
  6. marlon alexander l
    47. Posted by marlon alexander l Thu Nov 12 8:23pm EST

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    mavs suck. same old story. they keep on trading and trading for players hoping to get them over the top but they keep on choking come playoffs time. i agree coach carlisle a fat ass. you have so many weapons in this squad like kidd, howard, terry, marion, barea but why do you keep depending on nowitzki to do everything for you to win? why can't you limit his touches and set plays for his teammates? one man alone can't win a championship for a team.
  7. <i>bscha12675</i>
    46. Posted by bscha12675 Thu Nov 12 3:52pm EST

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    as a Mavs fan, except for that idiot J Howard, I'm not impressed with this team. 5-2 wasn't that great, and it's certainly no better at 5-3. All of the additions made and they they're still struggling to break 20 pts a quarter. This wasn't the first game where shooting percentage has been low. And it WASNT the Spurs defense. The Mavs are continually missing layups.
    If Josh Howard is on this team next year, I'm done watching. That fool doesn't have the on or off-court smarts. He's a terrible outside shooter, yet continues to jack them up from the arc, over and over. That would be called a TURNOVER. Moron!
  8. dgr
    45. Posted by dgr Thu Nov 12 3:00pm EST

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    looks like post 24 was from a 3-year old
  9. Greg G
    44. Posted by Greg G Thu Nov 12 2:40pm EST

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    cant wait for next week. it rocked that spurs without two of their biggest stars took care of the fully loaded mavs. back to back my ass...its called the NBA. next week will really tell the tale and will be a much closer game....but i take a lot of pleasure knowing that the mavs blew an opportunity to win on the spurs home floor. the mavs looked old and slow last night compared to the run and gun new spurs.
  10. Terry
    43. Posted by Terry Thu Nov 12 1:34pm EST

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    Hi my spurs how are you all doing--congraulation --for winning again you all are always in our prayers you are my # 1 team love you guy keep it up so we can keep on winning tim and tony we need you all to get will take care and god bless you all the san antonio spurs players.hi( tim duncan) from barbara

    (go spurs go) (go spurs go)
  11. <i>aintquittingsoon</i>
    42. Posted by aintquittingsoon Thu Nov 12 12:20pm EST

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    Oh, man! Seems the Spurs have all the right horses this time. How many penetrators do they have - Manu, Jefferson, Parker, and Hill. Not counting Hairston and Haislip yet since the two are stil in the corral. They're deep, really deep. Can't wait to see the tandem of Duncan-Mcdyess, Duncan-Blair, Mcdyess-Bonner, Ratliff-Blair, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera!
  12. Jaret
    41. Posted by Jaret Thu Nov 12 11:20am EST

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    Spurs baby!!!! way too deep this year!!!! let the haters hate!!! real nba fans with real game knowledge know the spurs are a contender this year!!!! last night was a little taste of what will happen once all the players get on the same page!!!! sorry faker and f@gvrick fans.......
  13. Carlo
    40. Posted by Carlo Thu Nov 12 11:10am EST

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    It figures.

    Anytime it's a big game don't count on Dirk.

    If they can't beat the old and already beat up Spurs do they really think LA won't run them out the gym?
  14. Roc
    39. Posted by Roc Thu Nov 12 11:06am EST

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    I love these knuckleheads calling the Spurs old, TD and McDysse are old but they will still ball on most, Finley....yeah that guys old but serviceable and isn't relied upon much anyway, what we get from him is a bonus and the same for Ratliff. But Parker, Gino, RJ, Hill, Blair, Bogans, Mason, Bonner these guys aren't old. While Duncan may not be the player he once was we have more options off the bench, more versatility, more than just TP and Gino who can create their own offense, in other words we are a better overall team as far as depth goes than anyone of the 4 title teams we've had. Look out NBA the Boys in black are back!
  15. Steven
    38. Posted by Steven Thu Nov 12 10:15am EST

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    50 cent loves gossip girl and he watches every eposide of it.
  16. ralph
    37. Posted by ralph Thu Nov 12 9:26am EST

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    Mavs had a low FG% due to the tight defense of the Spurs... Spus defense was the story....
  17. Bon
    36. Posted by Bon Thu Nov 12 9:03am EST

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    the mavs are from a back to back game.. obviously its fatigue.. poor shooting night for the mavs and a great 3pt night for the spurs.. hope to see mavs winning 10 straight... 10 staright is enough to prove consistency.. if not then somethings wrong with ricks rotation.. starting marion with howard? i dont think howard can play as a 2 guard..
  18. mc
    35. Posted by mc Thu Nov 12 5:10am EST

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    this coach really sucks,he needs to be fired..he doesn't know when to use players very well, he needs to play Beaubois Rodrigue more often than jose barea. And they still need a strong center, a versatile defender and an addtional offensive player. i doubt they win 50 games this season, with the way the other teams have changed, it is going to be very tough. All my honest opinion.
  19. ralph
    34. Posted by ralph Thu Nov 12 4:25am EST

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    Laker Fans.... you guys suck!!! what are you doing here anyway??? this is a Spurs-Mavs page...
    get lost!!! i'll see you guys cry when the overrated lakers lose in the conference finals...

    To the Mavs, You guys are never going to win an NBA championship... face reality...
    not with that team of yours... you should have never let go of Steve Nash...

    @teachher... you talk sh*t... Lakers have always been overrated.. i agree the Lakers are strong, but not that strong... i wonder why Dumb @$$ laker fans think their current team is going to repeat...

    Go Spurs!!!!
  20. <i>arielberdin41</i>
    33. Posted by arielberdin41 Thu Nov 12 2:19am EST

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    halu dallas fans all over the world, hey its me ariel, dont wory dallas, you can beat spurs in playoffs, no ned to afraid, spurs are old already. you can do it!!!!!!!!!!!!Im your # 1 fans here in philippines.
  21. <i>jeezee10</i>
    32. Posted by jeezee10 Thu Nov 12 2:07am EST

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    Jefferson caught fire while Manu cooled a little. With this current firepower, the Spurs are to be reckoned with once Gregg Pops is through with his tinkering. Right now he is giving the players the minutes. Spurs fans should be happy with their team's prospects!
  22. Mike D
    31. Posted by Mike D Thu Nov 12 1:43am EST

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    hey
    # 30 don't worry baby spurs over Celtics in 6 in Finals trust me and the Lakers aint the young either kobe,fisher and artest and gasol got some mileage too saying the spurs are old that @#$% is played out and all y'all spurs haters @#$% know it too man i hate how these @#$%s nit pick at the age of Duncan and Ginobili @#$% off with that BS ginobii has been injured you @#$%s and Duncan shouldn't have even been playing in the playoffs against the Mavs last year if the Mavs didn't win that series my head would of @#$% exploded in irony @#$% idiots know they suck blowing finals in 06 and out in the first round in 07 mavs and suns aint nothing but a @#$% bug on the spurs windshield and Lakers are a bunch of @#$% opportunists and true lakers fans not the stupid denial band wagon ass holes fans know if Ginobili was not injured in the new orleans series in 08 deep in the playoffs they would of lost in Conference finals to the Spurs and last @#$% year they also know if spurs were healthy they would beat mavs kick the @#$% of the nuggets like they always do and showed kobe and the rest of America that spurs are the best @#$% team HEALTHY bar @#$% NONE and i aint gonna say anything about Celtics cause they play some good @#$% b ball and they won that 08 championship and they should of won last year too against that overrated ass Lakers team
  23. JeremyO
    30. Posted by JeremyO Thu Nov 12 1:19am EST

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    haha you said it teacherher. I dont know why fans are always so delusional about their teams. Im a Sixers fan, I know were doin squat this year, hopefully well make the playoffs and go to game 7 of the 1st round. Spurs fans, last I checked the Mavs knocked you guys out of the playoffs in your own arena last year so you cant really talk trash on them. Nice win tonight but end it there. Dont go preachin Spurs 2010 cuz the Lakers are going to sweep your geezer asses out of the playoffs if u meet them.
    TD and Manu are old and always injured and the Lakers now have the length to shut down Duncan (Bynum, Odom and Pau). Good luck witht that.
  24. john
    29. Posted by john Thu Nov 12 1:15am EST

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    THis is like Reagan Beating L.D. Bell at a competition...a select few of people will actually get this.
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Top Performers

 Top Performers
 Dallas
D. Nowitzki Dirk Nowitzki
9-27,  29 Pts
12 Rebs, 1 Assists
 San Antonio
R. Jefferson Richard Jefferson
11-23,  29 Pts
7 Rebs, 4 Assists

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