Forbes fuels short-handed Spurs past Mavericks
DALLAS -- Little-used rookie Bryn Forbes scored 27 points off the bench as the stripped-down version of the San Antonio Spurs rallied past the Dallas Mavericks 102-89 Friday night at American Airlines Center.
In a game that was otherwise meaningless for the Spurs, coach Gregg Popovich elected to leave most of his big guns home as Kawhi Leonard, LaMarcus Aldridge and Pau Gasol were given the night off. Manu Ginobili and Danny Green were officially nursing injuries and Tony Parker dressed but didn't set foot on the floor.
Despite the missing troops, the Spurs (61-18) made up an 11-point halftime deficit by blowing past the Mavericks with a 25-8 advantage in the third quarter. San Antonio's comeback was aided by coach Rick Carlisle's decision to sit Dirk Nowitzki, Harrison Barnes, Wesley Matthews and J.J. Barea for the second half.
Forbes was an unlikely star for San Antonio's skeleton crew, becoming the first Spurs rookie to score 20 points in a half since Tim Duncan in 1998. His 22 points at the break kept San Antonio within striking distance.
The undrafted free agent made the team out of Summer League and has logged multiple assignments in the D-League. Forbes knocked down 10 of 19 shots, including 4 of 9 from beyond the 3-point line.
Davis Bertans added 19 points for San Antonio, David Lee scored 16 off the bench and Jonathan Simmons had 12 points. Dewayne Dedmon picked up a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Kyle Anderson had nine points and 10 boards.
Dwight Powell led Dallas with 12 points. Yogi Ferrell was the only other Maverick in double figures with 11 points.
Dallas was outscored 52-28 in the second half.
The Mavericks (32-47) gladly took advantage against of facsimile of their in-state rivals in the first half. The Spurs had a long scoring drought in the first quarter and fell behind by double digits. San Antonio would make runs, but Dallas remained in control.
Dallas took a 61-50 lead into the locker room behind a well-balanced effort. Nowitzki, Barnes, Barea and Powell each had eight points at the half, as the Mavs shot nearly 57 percent.
The Spurs, locked in as the Western Conference's No. 2 playoff seed, return home to finish off a back-to-back Saturday against the Los Angeles Clippers. San Antonio will face Memphis in the first round.
Dallas finishes up its season series with Phoenix on the road Sunday. The Suns have won two of three.
NOTES: Mavericks PF Dirk Nowitzki tied former Spurs great Tim Duncan for seventh all-time in NBA games with 1,392. ... San Antonio has won four straight in Dallas and won the season series 3-1. ... Dallas PG J.J. Barea played in his 500th career game with the Mavericks, tying former teammate Jason Kidd for ninth on the franchise's all-time list. ... Mavs G Seth Curry (shoulder) missed his fourth game in a row.