Mavericks vs. Spurs: Score and Twitter Reaction from 2014 Regular Season
No Kawhi Leonard, no Tiago Splitter, no Patty Mills—no problem for the San Antonio Spurs. Especially if Tony Parker, Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili are still around to save the day.
The Spurs' grizzled Big Three combined for 57 points and Chandler Parsons' potential game-winning shot clanged off the rim, as San Antonio earned a 101-100 home victory over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night.
Down by one with under a minute remaining, the Mavericks swung the ball around the perimeter beautifully for an open shot for Parsons, their high-profile offseason acquisition. The former Houston Rocket clanged the ball off the rim to end a dispiriting Mavericks debut as Duncan snared the rebound to cap off a double-double night (14 points, 13 rebounds).
Parker accounted for a team-high 23 points, looking in midseason form as he slashed into the paint. Ginobili scored 14 of his 20 points in the second half, including nine in a critical third-quarter run. The Spurs and Mavericks were playing for the first time since their epic seven-game first-round series, which was easily the most San Antonio was tested on its 2013-14 title run.
The Spurs hung their fifth banner at a ceremony before the game. NBA commissioner Adam Silver was on hand and presented each player with their ring, with the typically stoic franchise at times displaying uncharacteristic emotions. Owner Peter Holt told San Antonio Express-News reporter Tom Orsborn that he almost began weeping when the banner was raised:
The next time Holt was near weeping was probably at the sight of his team's first-half defense. Playing without Leonard, Splitter and Mills, the Spurs struggled to find much containment on the outside or the defensive middle.
Monta Ellis created a ton of open looks in mid-range, carrying the offense at points as Dirk Nowitzki took a back seat. The first-half freedom in many ways led to Ellis succumbing to his worst impulses, as he shot a team-high 21 times—10 more than Nowitzki.
The Mavericks made nearly half their shots in the first 24 minutes to take what appeared to be a commanding 53-45 lead going into halftime.
As anyone who has played this iteration of the Spurs knows, though, no cushion is ever safe.
San Antonio came out with a renewed commitment on both ends of the floor to start the second half. Parker and Ginobili combined for 19 of the Spurs' 31 points in the third quarter, picking up the offensive slack against a porous Mavericks perimeter attack.
After a mostly inconsistent first half, the Spurs lit up the scoreboard with NBA Finals-like precision. They hit 58.8 percent of their shots and drained nine of their 14 three-pointers in the second half. Parker, Ginobili, Danny Green and Marco Belinelli each hit a pair from long range.
"This is how they get everybody," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters before the game. "They have a couple of guys out, they throw a couple of guys in there that play like their pants are on fire and they embarrass you with hard play. We've got to match and exceed that, regardless of who is out there."
Meanwhile, Dallas went through intermittent struggles that allowed the Spurs to retake the lead. Nowitzki took only three shots in the critical third quarter, while a number of high-profile debuts came and went with a thud.
Parsons' missed game-winner was a fitting end to a nightmarish debut with Dallas. The sweet-shooting swingman, who signed a three-year, $46 million deal in July, went 2-of-10 from the field en route to a disappointing five-point night. He looked noticeably uncomfortable with his jumper and was beaten at multiple points by his man defensively.
Carlisle criticized Parsons' conditioning during the preseason, publicly stating the team would prefer that Parsons lose weight. While Carlisle later apologized to the team and Parsons for airing their dirty laundry, it will do little to quell criticism if Tuesday night doesn't prove to be an outlier.
“The goal is to win, and win big," Parsons told Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News. "With the core here, we have the potential to be really good. And I obviously see myself as a big part of that. I hope Dirk plays for 10 more years. But when he does go, hopefully I’ll be here and can fill those big ol’ shoes that he has.”
The Mavericks also got less than expected from the newly reacquired Tyson Chandler, though that was more a result of foul trouble than individual performance. Chandler spent most of his 28 minutes on the floor frustrated by the officiating crew, at multiple points throwing his hands up in disgust. The defensive anchor had eight points and 10 rebounds.
Fellow new faces Jameer Nelson, Richard Jefferson and Al-Farouq Aminu combined for 15 points. The Nelson-Ellis backcourt combo was at times totally unpalatable, especially when the Spurs played Parker and Ginobili together. With another defensive minus in Parsons also getting extended minutes, the Mavs are going to have a difficult time with elite perimeter players until Carlisle finds a better rotational mix.
While the Spurs were without three key championship contributors, cohesion was a trait they did not lack. Cory Joseph and Aron Baynes ably stepped into extended roles, and Gregg Popovich uncharacteristically stretched his stars' minutes. Five San Antonio players were on the floor for 30-plus minutes, an anomaly for a team that did not have a single player average 30 a night last season.
It'll be interesting to see how willing Popovich is to stretch his aging stars going forward. Leonard, who missed nearly the entire preseason with an eye infection, is expected back soon. Splitter and Mills might be out a little longer. Mills is still recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, while Popovich told Jeff McDonald of the San Antonio Express-News that Splitter has a back injury to go along with his strained calf.
The thinner roster may force Duncan, Parker and Ginobili to stay on the floor longer than they're used to. But at least for one night, they proved they're more than capable of handling it.
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