SAN ANTONIO – Dirk Nowitzki scored 31 points and the Dallas Mavericks won a playoff series for the first time since 2006, eliminating the San Antonio Spurs in five games with a 106-93 victory Tuesday night.
It is the first time San Antonio has lost in the opening round since 2000, one year after the Spurs won their first of four NBA titles. San Antonio was the third seed, but throughout the series it was Dallas that clearly looked like the higher-slotted team.
The Mavericks advance to the Western Conference semifinals to play either Denver or New Orleans. The Nuggets lead that series 3-1 and can finish off the Hornets on Wednesday at Denver.
Tim Duncan had 30 and Tony Parker had 26 but once again got little help – the story of the series for the two-dimensional Spurs.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
Success. Please wait for the page to reload. If the page does not reload within 5 seconds, please refresh the page.
Enter your email and password to access comments.
Hi, to comment on stories you must . This profile is in addition to your subscription and website login.
Already have a commenting profile? .
Invalid username/password.
Please check your email to confirm and complete your registration.
Only subscribers are eligible to post comments. Please subscribe or login first for digital access. Here’s why.
Use the form below to reset your password. When you've submitted your account email, we will send an email with a reset code.