Dallas at San Antonio 4/23/10

The Texas rivalry heads to San Antonio for Game 3

Dallas Mavericks at San Antonio Spurs
NBA Playoffs: 1st Round - Game 3 - Series Tied 1-1
Friday April 23, 2010 09:30 PM EST (ESPN)
Line: San Antonio -3

Game 2: Richard Jefferson bounced back from a poor Game 1 performance to score 17 of his 19 points in the first half to help the San Antonio Spurs defeat the Dallas Mavericks 102-88 and in the process even the best of seven games series one game a piece. Jefferson was the Spurs go to guy in the first half as he converted on seven of his nine field goals and was instrumental in a 12-1 Spurs run late in the second quarter that broke the game open for good. The second half however belonged to Tim Duncan who scored 17 of his game high 25 points, to go along with 17 rebounds, as the Spurs held off a late Dallas rally to secure the victory. Jason Terry, who was non-factor in Game 1, responded with 27 points to lead Dallas in scoring while Dirk Nowitzki wasn't far behind with 24 points, however he missed six of his first seven shots and that set the tone for the rest of the game as he struggled shooting throughout. Caron Butler also chipped in with 17 points.

Game 1: Dirk Nowitzki was the difference in Game 1 as he converted on 12 of this 14 fields goals while going a perfect 12 from 12 from the charity stripe en route to 36 points to lead the Mavericks to a 100-94 victory over the rival Spurs on Sunday night in Game 1 of their opening round series. After the game Nowitzki said "Sometimes, you have one of those nights where the basket is big” and he was right as he was hitting shots fading away and with people in his face, sometimes over two or three defenders. Caron Butler also chipped in with 22 points while Jason Kidd was only two rebounds shy of posting a triple double with 13 points, 11 assists and 8 rebounds. The Spurs, who were outrebounded by eight and committed 17 turnovers, had good supply from their big three as they combined for 71 of their 94 points, in saying that the rest of the team only combined to score 23 total points and coach Popavich let them know about it after the game, calling them ‘the dogs’ which certainly wasn’t a compliment.

Season Series: The Mavs won and covered in three of the four meetings against the Spurs this season to continue their dominance as they have now won and covered in eight of the last ten meetings between the two, which includes last years first round playoff match up in which in Mavs won 4-1. The Spurs are 0-6 ATS in the last 6 meetings in Dallas while the home team is 7-2 ATS in the last 9 meetings. 

Prediction: With the series tied at one game a piece, Game 3 promises to be in intriguing battle. Can the Spurs back up their Game 2 performance or will the Mavs continue the dominance they had over the Spurs for some time now. While I don't think their is much separating these tonight, I have to give the slight edge to the home team...

Dan's Pick: San Antonio -3 

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