Spurs at Mavericks
The San Antonio Spurs have routed the Dallas Mavericks by 38 and 25 points in this season’s previous two meetings but Dallas is feeling positive it can turn in a much better performance when it hosts San Antonio on Friday. The Mavericks have won five of their last six games, while the Spurs will be without All-Star forward Tim Duncan (knee) and coach Gregg Popovich (illness) for the second straight game. San Antonio has won six consecutive contests.
The Spurs defeated the New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday without Duncan and Popovich. Assistant coach Mike Budenholzer is serving as head coach while Popovich recovers. Dallas is averaging 110.7 points over the last six games and veteran guard Vince Carter said he isn’t the least bit satisfied with the club still six games below .500. “I think we still have a long way to go,” Carter said. “We can feel even better about ourselves when we’re in a playoff position, in my opinion. It’s great we’re playing better basketball, but we put ourselves in his hole and we’re trying to climb back out right now.”
TV: 8 p.m. ET, ESPN, KENS (San Antonio), Fox Sports Southwest (Dallas)
ABOUT THE SPURS (34-11): San Antonio made a franchise-record 20 3-pointers in a 129-91 win over the Mavericks on Dec. 23 with guard Danny Green scoring a career-high 25 points and matching a career best with seven 3-ponters. The outside game will be key again with Duncan out and will be bolstered by the return of guard Manu Ginobili from a hamstring injury. Ginobili played 17 minutes against New Orleans after missing the four previous games. “He looked good,” point guard Tony Parker said of Ginobili. “He didn’t go full speed. I think he was trying it and testing it. In Dallas, he’s going to get more aggressive.” Parker and Duncan were named Western Conference All-Star reserves on Thursday.
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (18-24): Point guard Darren Collison is averaging 16.5 points and shooting 68.2 percent from the field against the Spurs this season. He also has played well of late in general by averaging 15.1 points over his last 15 outings. Collison is meshing better with backcourt mate O.J. Mayo and coach Rick Carlisle sees a promising future for the duo. “In my 4 1/2 years here, I haven’t had this kind of collection of younger guys that have this kind of upside,” Carlisle said. Mayo is averaging a team-best 18.2 points while Collison is contributing 12.9 points and 5.2 assists.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. San Antonio has won seven of the last nine meetings with the Mavericks.
2. Dallas committed a season-low eight turnovers in Sunday’s win over Orlando and has registered 10 or fewer miscues in four of its last five games.
3. Spurs F Kawhi Leonard (knee) will likely miss his second consecutive contest.