NBA playoffs: Mavericks at Spurs, Game 5 (Dallas leads 3-1)
The San Antonio Spurs have never lost a first-round playoff series with Tim Duncan on the court, but the Spurs are looking rather old against the suddenly surging Dallas Mavericks, who can close out the series tonight in San Antonio.
Yet the Spurs are 5-point WagerWeb.com favorites (over/under 198.5) to extend the series at least one more game.
The Mavericks have to play with a sense of urgency despite being the team ahead by two games. Or else they run the risk of coming back for Game 6 on Friday with all the pressure on them to avoid a return to San Antonio for Game 7.
“I don’t think we want to think that way or talk that way,” Dirk Nowitzki said. “To us, it’s the next game that we got to play well again. We stole one down there and why shouldn’t we do it again? That’s got to be our mind-set.”
The defensive mind set of the two teams is interesting in this one. The Spurs are focusing on Nowitzki to not let him beat them, while the Mavs want Duncan and Tony Parker to be the only offense for San Antonio.
Nowizki averaged 25.9 points and 20 shots per game as the Mavs split four games with San Antonio during the regular season. In this series, the German star has not taken more than 15 shots a game, nor made more than 50 percent of his shots. He’s averaging 16.3 points and has not scored more than 20 in a game.
“Dirk is having to play a game of real awareness,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. “He’s trying to stay aggressive and get his shots, but a lot of the time he’s having to make the pass that leads to a pass that gets us an open shot.”
Parker (43 points) and Duncan (25) scored 76 percent of the Spurs’ points in their 99-90 loss in Game 4 and have combined for 52 percent of the Spurs’ s points in the series. They are the only Spurs averaging in double figures. The team’s third-leading scorer this postseason, Roger Mason Jr., was held scoreless in Game 4 and has averaged just 8.0 points. Fellow contributor Matt Bonner also went scoreless in Game 4. Two starters going scoreless? That simply won’t cut it.
“Me and Timmy will definitely try to do a better job and try to get shots for our teammates,” said Parker, who has averaged 29.3 points and 5.5 assists in the series.
WagerWeb.com Key Trends
* Favorite is 6-1 ATS in the last 7 meetings.
* Home team is 5-1 ATS in the last 6 meetings.
* Over is 4-1 in the last 5 meetings.
* Mavericks are 4-1 ATS in the last 5 meetings.
* Mavericks are 10-3 ATS in the last 13 meetings in San Antonio.
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