Recap: Spurs 100 at Mavericks 101 F/OT

Earl K. Sneed recaps the Dallas Mavericks' thrilling overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs Sunday evening to end a four-game homestand by taking the lead in the Southwest Division.

DALLAS — The injury bug is rearing its ugly head in the direction of the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.

After swingman Vince Carter made his return Friday night to the Dallas lineup following a five-game stint on the mend due to a sprained left foot, the team found a way en route to a 116-101 victory over Utah while playing shorthanded due to injuries to leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki (sore right knee), point guard Jason Kidd (strained right calf) and newcomer Delonte West (strained right hamstring). Sunday, the news got worse.

Before taking the court against the Southwest Division rival San Antonio Spurs, Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle announced that Kidd will be out at least a week and probably longer after playing just over two minutes in Friday night’s win.

“We’ll rehab the calf and we’ll see where we stand in a week,” Kidd would go on to say. “It’s always tough to watch, but it’s also good that my teammates are playing well. We’ve got a pretty good record without me and Dirk in the lineup, so again we’re holding the guys back.”

Still, the Mavs looked to conclude their four-game homestand on a positive note while also trying to avenge a 93-71 loss in San Antonio on Jan. 5, taking the court with both Nowitzki and West active for the divisional showdown. And although it wouldn’t be easy, the Mavericks (13-8) would indeed get even with a 101-100 overtime win.

After watching his team go 3-1 without him, Nowitzki returned to his customary starting power forward spot next to third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois, Carter, forward Shawn Marion and center Brendan Haywood. But the Spurs (12-9) would begin the game on a 6-0 run, taking a 10-4 edge before Carlisle called timeout at the 7:25 mark. After the stoppage, the Mavs would immediately get back in the game with a 12-2 spurt of their own led by the instant offense of Carter.

Nowitzki, meanwhile, wouldn’t take his first shot until a missed three at the first-quarter buzzer, although the Mavs would hold a 24-18 edge after one behind Carter’s 10 points on 4-of-6 from the field.

“I was able to just get going and get going early trying to be aggressive,” Carter said of his quick start.

Nowitzki joined the second unit of West, Jason Terry, Lamar Odom and Ian Mahinmi as the second stanza began. Meanwhile, the lead ballooned to double digit with Nowitzki getting in the stat sheet after a tip-in to put the Mavs ahead 30-18, leading to a Spurs timeout with 9:32 remaining in the half. The 10-time All-Star then rained in a vintage jump shot just before the halftime buzzer to give his team a 51-40 margin at the break.

Led by Carter’s 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, the Mavs outshot the Spurs at the midway mark, 52.2 percent to 35.7 percent. After surrendering 16 made 3-pointers in the first meeting, the Mavs also held the Spurs to 2-of-9 from behind the arc in the first half. That trend would soon change, however.

Terry took charge early in the third quarter and the scoreboard would reflect it. While the star reserve looked for his own shot, the Mavs increased their separation on the scoreboard to as much as 18 with a 13-5 run. The Spurs charged back, however, cutting the Mavs’ advantage to 69-58 entering the fourth period with Terry and Carter combining to score 35 points through 36 minutes of action.

The Spurs would not be done in easily, though, catching fire from long range just like in the first meeting and using a 17-2 run to start the final period to take a 75-71 lead after back-to-back 3-pointers from Danny Green and Matt Bonner.

“You never know what [Spurs coach Gregg Popovich] is gonna do, but tonight he got into a situation where his starters didn’t have it. We got off to a good lead and they play tomorrow night, so he was gonna rest them and if his energy group could give them what they gave them he was just gonna ride them. Take your hat off to those guys, they continued to play, played hard and they made shots. That’s just a Popovich-coached team,” Terry said after the Mavs found themselves down on the scoreboard.

“It’s a wacky year, and there are a lot of things going on with crazy scores and leads and deficits disappearing,” Carlisle explained. “You’ve got to be ready for anything.”

During a stretch in which the Spurs’ bench scored the last 40 points of regulation for the visiting squad, the Mavs would find themselves down as much as nine midway through the period. The Mavs wouldn’t give in either, however, using Terry’s driving and-1 score to cut their deficit to 89-85 with 1:22 still on the clock.

That deficit would be trimmed to two on back-to-back driving scores by Beaubois to sandwich a Tiago Splitter bucket inside at the other end. But Terry would save room for more theatrics, draining a jumper to tie the game at 91-all with just .5 ticks on the game clock.

“Terry was great. The shot at the end of regulation, we were in transition, had a timeout and decided not to take it. And he hit a terrific shot,” Carlisle said of the sequence.

Still, the Spurs thought they had the game won before Green’s game-winning shot attempt that swished all net was ruled after the buzzer on review, sending the game into overtime.

“Give San Antonio a lot of credit. They shut down all their starters and their second-unit guys scored eight out of nine times in the fourth quarter. That’s great execution by them, and we’ve got to be better defensively. It’s basically that simple,” Carlisle said.

In the extra period, the ball would swing Carter’s and Nowitzki’s way on the offensive end. But with the Spurs’ starters on the bench since 2:44 left in the third quarter, San Antonio’s reserves continued to respond, taking a 98-95 edge on Green’s driving score with 1:18 left in overtime. Nowitzki answered with a score at the other end before finding Terry inside to go in front.

A perfect 2-for-2 trip to the foul line by Terry then put the Mavs up 101-98 with 17.9 ticks left in OT after a 6-0 Dallas run. Gary Neal would have a chance to tie the game after an and-1 score over Marion, but the reserve guard would miss the free throw before the game remained at 101-100 in Dallas' favor with 10.2 seconds left after Mahinmi also missed a pair at the foul line.

The Spurs then had one more chance to win it, but Carter’s stellar defense on Bonner forced the ball into Green’s hands and the former North Carolina standout’s three drew all iron at the buzzer to secure the win and the Southwest Division lead for the Mavs.

“I love that we came from nine down in the fourth,” Carlisle concluded. “It’s a tough position to be in, but the guys fought and got it tied. Then in overtime we were able to get out of here. We’re fortunate, but we earned it.”

“Through blowing an 18-point lead, we were able to get back in the game down nine and pull out a victory. I think that says a lot about our team,” Carter simply said.

Off the Dallas bench, Terry led all scorers with a season-high 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting.

“I was locked in. You know, the first time we played San Antonio I was disappointed. I watched the film and there were some shots that I know that I make. And I said if I continue to get those same looks and opportunities I would be aggressive and take them and they gave me the same looks,” Terry said of his performance.

Carter also produced in the starting lineup, scoring a season-high 21 points on 8-of-15 shooting. Beaubois scored 14 points and dished out seven assists in place of Kidd, while Nowitzki returned to score 10 points on 5-of-14 from the field to go along with 13 rebounds.

“It’s definitely good to get the win,” Nowitzki said, “but I think when someone comes back from a break you look to see how he’s moving, and so definitely, that was an improvement. But I’m gonna keep working and I should be back to normal soon. Thirteen rebounds, that was two weeks worth, so that was definitely a good sign. No, but I feel like I have a little more lift than I did a week ago, even on my jumper.”

“He moved good in the second half,” Terry said of his teammate’s return. “I thought he started to get into a rhythm. He had some good looks that he would have liked to have knocked down, but that’s gonna come. So, he looked alright. The best thing about it is he has another game tomorrow to really test his self and see where he’s at.”

Neal led four Spurs in double figures with 19 points off the bench, although Dallas’ 44 percent shooting bettered San Antonio’s 41.5 percent. The Spurs’ 12-of-25 shooting from 3-point range kept them in the game, however, compared to Dallas’ 4-of-20 from deep on a night in which the Mavs surrendered a season-low eight turnovers for just seven points at the other end.

The Mavericks return to action on the second night of a back-to-back in Phoenix Monday night. Dallas leads the season series 2-0 after two wins at home. The Mavericks-Suns game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 8 p.m. CT.

Dallas returns home to host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday night. The two teams are tied at 1-1 in the season series with both winning at home. That game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest and nationally on ESPN at 7 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-6287.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).

Dr. Pepper Family Nights are here! Plans include four Mavs tickets and four McDonald’s extra value meals, starting at $49. Visit mavs.com or call 214-747-MAVS for a schedule of games and to purchase tickets.