Mavericks Go Cold In Final Eight Minutes As Spurs Win Game 1

Apr 20, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Vince Carter (25) shoots over San Antonio Spurs guard Manu Ginobili (20) and guard Marco Belinelli (3) during the first half in game one during the first round of the 2014 NBA Playoffs at AT&T Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

DALLAS MAVERICKS vs SAN ANTONIO SPURS

Game 1 Recap

The Dallas Mavericks were leading 81-71 with 7:45 left to play, but missed 12 straight shots as the Spurs finished on a 19-4 run to take Game 1 with a 90-85 win over their in-state rivals.

Game 2 will be in San Antonio on April 23 on NBATV at 8:00 p.m. ET.

After an and-1 basket from Brandan Wright with 7:45 left, the Mavericks went on to miss their next 12 from the floor and only got two points from two free throws from Wright to finish the game before Devin Harris made a layup at the buzzer.

The Mavericks got off to a good start in the final quarter, taking a 10-point lead after it was tied at 65 after three.

Dallas had eight of the first 10 points in the quarter before the Spurs called a timeout. The Mavericks increased their run to 16-6 after a couple of 3-pointers from Jae Crowder and Vince Carter.

Then, like all season long, the Mavericks got complacent with a double-digit lead and fell apart at the wrong time, against the NBA-leading Spurs no less.

Harris led the Mavs with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting and five assists, but scored six points after halftime.

Nowitzki struggled mightily, finishing with 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting. Monta Ellis also went 4-of-14 from the field for 11 points, two in the second half.

Tim Duncan, in his 17th season and 17th playoff appearance, scored a game-high 27 points while Tony Parker scored 17 of his 21 in the first half.

Parker got inside the paint with ease in the opening half, sprinting past anyone Dallas put on him, most normally the Maverick big men.

Dallas got off to a rough start, missing seven of its first eight shots as it trailed 21-12 after the first quarter, matching a season-low for points in a quarter.

Harris got going in the second, scoring 10 points in the quarter to give the Mavericks a 44-43 halftime lead.

The Mavs outscored San Antonio 32-22 in the second and used a 12-0 run to take a 24-21 lead with 8:47 in the half.

After Manu Ginobili knocked down a three, Harris drove in and made a difficult layup with 1.5 left before halftime.

The third quarter went back-and-forth before the Mavs took a 65-61 lead, but failed to score in the final 3:14.

The Spurs would only score four points in the final 4:13, but were able to tie it at 65 after three.

Both teams struggled to shoot the ball with the Mavs at 41.2 percent and the Spurs at 43.2 percent. The Spurs were +8 from the free-throw line and held the advantage in fast-break points and points inside the paint, 13-3 and 56-32, respectively.

The Mavs had fewer turnovers with eight, and also outscored the top-seeded bench in the league, 46-23.

This marked the sixth time in the last 14 years that the two teams meet in the playoffs. San Antonio has won three of the previous five playoff match ups (17-13).

Nowitzki, in his 129th playoff game, came in averaging 25.9 points in the postseason. He and Duncan have now played 30 playoff games against one another, 79 overall.

Duncan, in his 212th playoff game, came in averaging 21.9.

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