NBA Playoffs 2014, Mavericks at Spurs final score: Spurs edge Mavericks, 90-85, to win Game 1
By Josh Sanchez
The Dallas Mavericks and San Antonio Spurs kicked off their Western Conference series this afternoon in the first of four games on the NBA schedule for Easter Sunday. The AT&T Center was rocking for the clash between two Texas rivals, but only one team was able to come away with the early series lead.
It was a close contest, but the Spurs were able to come away with the win, 90-85, to keep home court advantage.
Dallas and San Antonio traded shots throughout a thrilling first half, which led to a game that was going to go down to the wire with the score all tied up after three quarters of play.
Before the fourth quarter began, TNT showed an incredible interview between Craig Sager Jr. and Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, where Coach Pop delivered a heartfelt message to Sager Jr.’s father, who was recently diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia.
We can’t say for certain if that moment sparked Popovich and the Spurs to kick things into the next gear, but the Spurs were able to find success in the fourth quarter and began pulling away in the final minutes of the game.
In the end, the Spurs late run was too much and they came away with the win and early advantage in the series. The team finished on an impressive 19-4 run.
Tim Duncan paced the Spurs offense with a game-high 27 points. He was able to tack on seven rebounds. Devin Harris led the Mavericks with 19 points, three rebounds and five assists.