• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers
• Game Tracker

Nowitzki leads Mavs over Spurs

Mar 18, 2012 - 4:27 AM Dallas, TX (Sports Network) - Dirk Nowitzki poured in 27 points and the Dallas Mavericks surged to a 106-99 win over the Southwest Division-leading San Antonio Spurs Saturday night at American Airlines Center.

Jason Terry scored 17, Rodrigue Beaubois added 16 points and Jason Kidd contributed 14 points with 10 assists for the Mavericks, who won their third straight and are within 4 1/2 games of first place in the division.

"We were to be aggressive, penetrate, make the extra pass, and guys were knocking down shots," Kidd said. "Defensively, we wanted to take away the three, we know how San Antonio can shoot the three so we just tried to take it away, but late in the game they just started knocking them down."

Danny Green and Tim Duncan each scored 17 to pace the Spurs, who had a three- game winning streak broken. Tony Parker ended with 13 points and 11 assists, and Tiago Splitter scored 15 in defeat.

"I just think that their team in general was a lot sharper overall than we were," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "We were half a step behind most of the night, defensively for sure, and they took advantage of it. They shot the ball well, they moved it well. They did a good job."

Manu Ginobili, who was limited to nine points on 3-of-11 shooting, canned a three to get the Spurs within 82-77 with 9:15 left. Brandan Wright countered with a slam and Kidd and Nowitzki hit back-to-back three-balls to widen the margin.

San Antonio was within 100-94 inside two minutes left, but Vince Carter and Terry each hit from beyond the arc, sandwiched around a Duncan layup, to seal the outcome.

Dallas held a 28-19 lead after one quarter, but carried only a 46-44 edge to the locker room. The Spurs, who never led, got within one on a pair of occasions early in the third, only to have the hosts push to a 70-58 lead following two Lamar Odom free throws with four minutes left. It was 78-68 going to the fourth.

Game Notes

The Mavericks are 18-7 in Big D this season. Only eight teams have scored 100 points against the Mavs in regulation during the truncated season...Stephen Jackson, who was acquired by the Spurs at the trade deadline, played nearly 17 minutes and had five points...The Mavs held a 48-35 rebounding edge.