Mavericks Look To Close Out Game 2 To Tie Series

Apr 20, 2014; San Antonio, TX, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Shawn Marion (0) and guard Jose Calderon (8) check on guard Monta Ellis (11) after he was fouled by San Antonio Spurs forward Kawhi Leonard (not pictured) during the first quarter 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 2 (8:00 p.m. ET on NBATV)

Spurs lead series 1-0

After struggling down the stretch, the Dallas Mavericks blew a 10-point-4th-quarter lead as the San Antonio Spurs took Game 1 in the best-of-seven 1st-round series, 90-85 on April 20.

The two teams will tangle once again at AT&T Center for Game 2, which starts at 8:00 p.m. ET and can be seen on NBATV as well as Fox Sports Southwest with Mark Followill, Derek Harper and Jeff “Skin” Wade.

Dallas led 81-71 with 7:45 remaining after an and-1 opportunity from Brandan Wright, but the Mavericks finished 1-of-13 from the floor, the lone basket coming from a Devin Harris layup at the buzzer.

Tim Duncan scored a game-high 27 points while Tony Parker scored 17 of his 21 during the 1st half.

Harris led the Mavs with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting and five assists.

Dallas got off to a rough start, missing seven of its first eight shots as it trailed 21-12 after the 1st quarter, matching a season-low for points in a quarter.

The Spurs finished the game on a 19-4 run. They went 6-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the line during the run.

TEAM HAVE IT ALL: Dirk Nowitzki and Monta Ellis struggled, combining for just 22 points on 8-of-28 shooting. The duo came in averaging 40.7 points during the regular season. The two only scored 14 in the 1st half, nine from Ellis, but he was only able to score two points in the 2nd half. Nowitzki’s 11 points is tied for his 4th-lowest scoring total in a playoff game and 2nd fewest against the Spurs in the postseason. Nowitzki has scored 12 or fewer points in five games this season. He’s averaging 25.4 points the following game.

SOME GOOD: The Mavericks only committed eight turnovers and got 46 points from their bench. Aside from Harris, Wright scored 11 points. Vince Carter scored 10 while Jae Crowder added six. Dallas held the Spurs, who finished the season with the most points off the bench, to 23 bench points. Manu Ginobili scored 17 to lead San Antonio’s bench.

INSIDE THE PAINT: San Antonio outscored the Mavs 56-32 inside the paint. The Spurs scored 16 of their 21 1st-quarter points, which came out to their first eight shots, from inside the paint. Parker scored nine of the Spurs’ first 11 points, eight from inside the paint.

DEVIN HARRIS: Harris missed his first four shots when he entered the 1st quarter, two from behind the arc, but did make a 26-foot 3-pointer with two seconds left to start a 15-0 Dallas run. The Mavericks trailed 21-9 before the three, and led 24-21 after the run. Harris scored 11 during the run, and had 10 points total in the 2nd quarter. He went into the half with 13, but was only able to score six in the 2nd half.

MISSED OPPORTUNITY: The Spurs only scored four points in the final 4:13 of the 3rd quarter. Duncan went down after colliding knees with Ellis and had to be subbed out for Tiago Splitter with 3:24 remaining in the quarter. Patty Mills came in for Parker at the same time. At that point, the Mavericks led 63-61 and soon after led 65-61 after Harris’ jumper with 3:14 left in the 3rd. Without Parker or Duncan to end the 3rd, the Mavericks couldn’t cash in as they went scoreless to enter the 4th. Dallas missed its final five shots to end the quarter and committed one turnover. The Spurs were able to tie it at 65 after three, despite their two best players sitting on the bench.

10 STRAIGHT: San Antonio has won 10 straight against the Mavs. Since Dallas defeated the Spurs, 4-1, in the 2009 1st Round, the Spurs are 19-8 against their division rivals in the last 27 meetings (including the 2010 playoffs).

GAME 1 HIGHLIGHTS

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