Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2009

Jefferson leads short-handed Spurs past Mavs

SAN ANTONIO -- Richard Jefferson scored 29 points and the San Antonio Spurs survived another game without Tony Parker and Tim Duncan, beating the Dallas Mavericks 92-83 on Wednesday night.

Manu Ginobili had 13 points in the first meeting between the Texas rivals since the Mavs cruised past the ailing Spurs in the first round of the playoffs last season, handing San Antonio its earliest playoff exit since 2000.

San Antonio was banged-up again without Parker and Duncan, who continue to rest sore ankles, but poor shooting did in Dallas in this rematch. Dirk Nowitzki had 29 points and 12 rebounds, but was 9 of 27 from the floor.

Jason Terry added 19 points for the Mavericks.

George Hill scored 11 points in his second start for Parker for the Spurs, who watched the Mavs celebrate advancing to the second round following an easy Game 5 win the last time Dallas came to town.

This one didn't look much like last time.

Four members of San Antonio's starting lineup weren't even with the Spurs last season, and Ginobili was 3 of 8 from behind the arc after sitting out the Mavs series last spring with two bad ankles.

Ginobili's shot at the halftime buzzer - a 3-pointer heaved in front of the scorer's table - finished a 22-8 run that put Dallas at arm's length until the fourth quarter.

The Mavericks chipped a 15-point deficit down to four with under 4 minutes left, but Matt Bonner sank San Antonio's 14th shot from behind the 3-point line to stall the rally. Bonner finished with 11 points.

Josh Howard, playing back-to-back games for the first time this season, was 2 of 11 from the field and finished with eight points. Dallas shot 35 percent from the field, and were at 31 percent after three quarters.

Shawn Marion had 11 points for Dallas.

Parker and Duncan each hurt their left ankles Friday in a loss at Portland. Duncan participated in shootaround about an hour before Wednesday's game but, like Parker, sat on the bench in street clothes.

At least one of them is likely to play Saturday against Oklahoma City, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said, though he didn't hint as to which one The injuries are considered mild.

The traditionally defense-first Spurs have been anything but so far, entering Wednesday's game allowing an average of 102.5 points per game, putting them in the bottom third of the league. Popovich struggled to explain the slack defense before the game but noted it was slow to catch on last season, too.

He'll feel better about this effort: the Spurs held the Mavs to their fewest points this season.

Keith Bogans had 13 points for the Spurs and was 3 of 6 from behind the arc.

Notes: The Spurs trotted out their third different starting lineup in as many games. ... Mavs F Drew Gooden, who was benched in his final game during his brief Spurs stint last season, scored two points in 9 minutes. Gooden was playing his second consecutive game since after four because of a strained rib cage muscle.