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Point taken Parker has career night as Spurs hold off MavsPosted: Thursday December 12, 2002 12:38 AMUpdated: Thursday December 12, 2002 12:54 AM
SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- Tony Parker scored a career-high 32 points, including seven free throws in the final minute, to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 111-104 win over the division rival Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night. The loss was only the third in 22 games this season for the Mavericks, who played without leading scorer and rebounder Dirk Nowitzki (sprained ankle). The Spurs held off a fourth-quarter Dallas charge led by Michael Finley, who made four 3-pointers in the period -- the final one pulling the Mavs to 97-92 with about three minutes left. Parker swished a 3-pointer at the shot-clock buzzer with 2:24 left, and Stephen Jackson threw down a dunk following a steal by Parker to build San Antonio's lead to 102-94. Tim Duncan added 22 points and 13 rebounds for the Spurs, and David Robinson had 17 points and 10 rebounds. Jackson contributed 17 points off the bench. San Antonio connected on 12 of 20 shots in the third quarter to open an 80-69 lead. Parker finished the period with eight points on 4-for-6 shooting, and Jackson had a follow-up dunk and a 3-pointer in the final two minutes. At the other end, the Mavericks struggled on offense, making only six of their 24 attempts. Finley, who had 19 points in the first half, was held scoreless in the period. Finley led all scorers with 36 points, while Steve Nash had 21 points and 10 assists. Nick Van Exel, starting in place of the injured Adrian Griffin, scored 16. San Antonio started strong, with Duncan making his first four shots and Parker using his speed to drive past Nash to the basket. The Spurs built their lead up to 25-15 on a 3-pointer by Jackson with 3:50 remaining in the opening period. But Dallas switched to a zone defense, and six minutes later, it was the Mavericks who were ahead by 10. Finley sparked a 32-6 Dallas run by hitting a 3-pointer and an 18-footer late in the first, and then another jumper and a pair of layups in the first two minutes of the second quarter. He then capped the run with a dunk that put Dallas ahead, 47-31. But the scoring mood abruptly swung back to the Spurs, who had an 18-3 spurt of their own over a three-minute stretch late in the half. Parker made a pair of 3-pointers and Robinson a follow-up dunk on a missed layup by Parker with 1.7 seconds on the clock to pull San Antonio back within one, 54-53, at the break.
Notes: San Antonio's record is now 13-9. After 22 games last
season, the team was 18-4 and in the midst of an 11-game winning
streak. ... The Spurs, who began life as the ABA Dallas Chaparrals,
have an all-time record of 69-44 against the Mavericks. ... Malik
Rose, who signed a seven-year, $42 million contract during the
offseason, played 18 minutes, one more minute than he had played in
San Antonio's previous three games combined. ... Dallas is now 9-3
on the road, previously losing at Indiana on Thanksgiving Day and
the Los Angeles Lakers last week. ... The Mavericks' potent
offense, tops in the league, has surpassed 100 points in seven
straight games and 10 of their past 11.
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