San Antonio Spurs vs Dallas Maveicks: Spurs Postgame Reaction and Grades

Recap:

Gregg Popovich sent Manu Ginobili to the scorer's table after Gary Neal took an ill-advised three point attempt.

Neal responded by drilling his fifth three pointer of the game to make the score 88-76 with three and a half minutes to go, as the Spurs went on to win 99-93.

San Antonio has now won 13 of their last 14 games and now have a three and a half game lead for first place in the Western Conference.

What I Liked: The Spurs did not have a letdown; despite the fact Nowitzki was sidelined for this game, it appeard they recognized the importance of this game.

What I Did Not Like: The Spurs should have went to Duncan earlier. The offense bogged down in the second quarter, yet the Spurs continued to hoist up three poin attempts

Grades:

Tim Duncan: I thought Duncan should have been involved in he offense earlier in the game when the offense became stagnant.

But the Spurs turned to him in the third quarter and he provided some big buckets to quell the Mavs' momentum.

Grade: B+

Tony Parker: Parker played aggressive, I will give him that much. He did a good job of attacking Terry and Kidd in transition.

But he did not make smart decisions with the ball—those two turnovers in the fourth quarter come to mind.

Grade: C-

Manu Ginobili: I'm not sure if he is tired or if he is concerned about preserving his body, but Ginobili has been settling for quite a few jumpshots the last three games.

All four of field goals came from three-point land. Still, he had eight tough rebounds and came up with a critical block on Butler in the fourth quarter.

Grade: B+

Richard Jefferson: Missed shots, poor defensively and could not do anything right for three quarters.

In the end, he was able to battle a bad start by making timely baskets in the fourth quarter.

Grade: C+

DeJuan Blair: Struggled against the Mavs' perimeter-oriented frontcourt. A total non-factor in this game.

Grade: F

Gary Neal: Had half of San Antonio's bench points. Neal's shooting kept the Spurs offense afloat.

Grade: A+

Matt Bonner: His shot was not falling, but that is no excuse for poor rebounding.

Grade: D

Antonio McDyess: Looked spry tonight, probably because he played a combined 19 minutes in the previous four games.

McDyess' energy provided a big boost for the team tonight.

Grade: A+

George Hill: Played aggressive on both ends of the court. It appears Hill is finally comfortable in the sixth man role.

Play of the Game: Jason Kidd does his LeBron impersonation with a chase down block on Tony Parker.

Not the Play of the Game: After a putback dunk in the fourth quarter, it appeared Bonner thought it was a good idea to attempt another one in the fourth quarter.

Only this time, as Bonner went for the jam, the ball was knocked away from him. Popovich should limit Bonner to one dunk attempt per game.

What's Next: The Spurs will return home to face the Thunder on New Year's Day.