Mavericks 99, Spurs 93
Monta Ellis scored 11 of his season high-tying 38 points in the final 3 1/2 minutes as host Dallas rallied to win Rajon Rondo's debut against an undermanned San Antonio squad.
Ellis shot 15-of-23 and added a season-high five 3-pointers and Chandler Parsons had 16 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavericks, who snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Spurs. Rondo finished with six points, nine assists and seven rebounds in 34 minutes as Dallas won its third straight.
Marco Belinelli had 21 points and Aron Baynes added 16 and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who played without injured starters Tony Parker (hamstring) and Kawhi Leonard (hand) and resting contributors Tim Duncan, Manu Ginobili and Danny Green, who all played a ton of minutes in San Antonio's consecutive triple-overtime games. Cory Joseph added 14 points as the Spurs lost their fourth straight for the first time since dropping six in a row back in the 2010-11 campaign.
In a fourth quarter of trading baskets, Ellis scored four consecutive buckets for the Mavericks, the last a drive to the hoop that provided a 95-93 lead with 1:48 left. Ellis then stole a ball that led to a hoop by Parsons before driving the lane again for two with 45 ticks left to close out the victory.
Using a deliberate offense and mixing in a zone defense to slow down the highest-scoring team in the NBA, San Antonio led 47-42 at the half behind 14 points from Belinelli and 10 from Matt Bonner. Baynes scored 10 in the third as San Antonio remained in control, but the Mavericks pulled within 77-75 after three when Devin Harris drained a pair of 3-pointers in the final 35 seconds.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Ellis shot 7-of-11 from the floor for 18 points in the first half but the rest of the team was 9-of-31. … Rondo was scoreless on two shots in the first half with five assists and two turnovers. … The Spurs shot 26-of-26 from the line. … Mavs F Dirk Nowitzki didn't benefit from the addition of Rondo, shooting 4-of-14 for 13 points.