Mavericks Squeak Past Spurs 101-100 In OT
DALLAS (AP) – Jason Terry scored a season-high 34 points, including four in the last 42 seconds of overtime, as the Dallas Mavericks rebounded after blowing a big lead against San Antonio for a 101-100 victory Sunday night.
Terry put Dallas back in the lead to stay when he took a pass from Dirk Nowitzki for a 12-foot baseline jumper with 42 seconds left. After Shawn Marion stole the ball from Gary Neal, Terry had two free throws with 17 seconds left to make it 101-98.
Neal, who finish with 19 points, then drove for a layup and was fouled by Shawn Marion. But Neal missed a potential tying free throw that was rebounded by Ian Mahinmi, who then missed two free throw attempts.
After Neal got the rebound and the Spurs called timeout, Vince Carter knocked the ball loose. Danny Green grabbed it and threw up a shot that ricocheted off the front of the rim as the game ended.
Green and the Spurs thought he had a game-winner at the end of regulation, but his 14-footer was disallowed when replay clearly showed that shot didn't get out of his hands before the buzzer sounded.
Dallas led by as many as 18 points in the third quarter before San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich decided to go with his reserves. The Spurs' last 51 points after that came from bench players, and they went ahead by as many as nine in the fourth quarter with the help of a flurry of 3-pointers.
The Mavericks got even at 91 when Terry hit a 15-footer with a half-second left.
That was set up after Rodrigue Beaubois, starting for injured Jason Kidd, drove for a layup with 30 seconds left and then had a blocked shot on a drive by Neal.
San Antonio had one more shot, and Green swished a 14-footer off the inbound pass. But officials looked at the replay before ruling it didn't count and sending the game to overtime.
Carter had 21 points, his most with the Mavericks, while Beaubois had had 14. Nowitzki, playing for the first time after a four-game hiatus to strengthen his sore right knee and do conditioning work, had 10 points on 5-of-14 shooting with 13 rebounds.
Richard Jefferson, Tim Duncan and Green each had 12 points for the Spurs.
Dallas (13-8) took over the Southwest Division lead, ahead of Houston (12-8) and the Spurs (12-9).
The Mavericks had a 67-49 lead after Terry's basket with 3:48 left in the third quarter. That's when San Antonio's reserves took over.
There were seven consecutive points to cut the gap, that capped by Matt Bonner's 3-pointer that helped ignite a frenzy of 3-pointers.
San Antonio opened the fourth quarter with a 17-2 surge that included five 3-pointers. Bonner's trey from the right wing with 8:24 left in regulation put the Spurs up 75-71.
That was from about the same spot that Green had hit before a missed shot by Nowitzki.
San Antonio, which made seven 3s in the fourth quarter, led 84-75 with 5 1/2 minutes left when Neal stole the ball from Terry and had a fast-break jumper. It was still 89-81 only 2 minutes later when Neal made a 3-pointer.
(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
