Ginobili leads way as Spurs hold off Mavericks to even series
Manu Ginobili scored a game-high 23 points off the bench as the San Antonio Spurs built a 20-point lead and hung on to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 93-89 in Game 4 on Monday.
Dallas scored 29 points in the third quarter and held a slim lead with four minutes remaining in the contest, but Ginobili scored six of San Antonio's final 13 points to help even the series at two games apiece.
Star Performer
Ginobili was relegated to the bench after being limited to 12 points in Game 3 and responded with an impassioned effort at both ends of the floor Monday. He added five assists and grabbed three rebounds, much to the delight of Charles Barkley:
Turning Point
DeJuan Blair was a force off the bench for the Mavericks, scoring 12 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in 16 minutes, but Blair was ejected with 3:08 remaining for kicking Tiago Splitter in the head following a foul call.
Blair did not appear to intentionally make contact with Splitter's head, but his ejection left Dallas shorthanded at the most important moment in the contest and allowed the Spurs to regain the lead on the ensuing free throws.
Highlight Reel
Tim Duncan, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds, capped a strong first half for San Antonio with this last-second layup:
Ginobili sealed the victory with this final free throw and celebrated with an emphatic fist-pump:
Earlier in the game, the 36-year-old Argentinian showcased another (in)famous part of his game with this spectacular flop:
Ginobili wasn't the only veteran turning heads in Game 4. Vince Carter, 37, looked like a player in his prime when he blocked this layup attempt by Splitter:
Quote of the Night
DeJuan Blair wants you to know he didn't mean it:
DeJuan Blair on if fears suspension for "hostile act": It was an accident so we'll see what happens. It wasn't intentional."
— Jeff Caplan (@Caplan_NBA) April 29, 2014
Tiago Splitter disagrees:
Splitter said he did not think Blair meant to kick him. Then he saw film. "After watching the video, it looks like it was intentional."
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) April 29, 2014
Still, Splitter says, no hard feelings toward Blair: "He has nothing against me. He's a good kid. I know him. I don't know why he did it."
— Jeff McDonald (@JMcDonald_SAEN) April 29, 2014
Series at a glance
Game 1: SA 90, DAL 85 (Spurs lead 1-0)
Game 2: DAL 113, SA 92 (Series tied 1-1)
Game 3: DAL 109, SA 108 (Mavericks lead 2-1)
Game 4: SA 93, DAL 89 (Series tied 2-2)
Game 5: Wednesday, April 30 - 7 p.m. ET
Game 6: Friday, May 2 - TBD
Game 7*: Sunday, May 4 - TBD