San Antonio Spurs guard Tony Parker (right) shoots over Dallas Mavericks guard Antoine Wright during Monday's first-round Western Conference NBA playoff game in San Antonio. The Spurs won
SAN ANTONIO – Tony Parker wasn’t about to let the Dallas Mavericks leave San Antonio with two wins.
Parker walked off the court with 38 points, a comfortable lead and a roaring Spurs crowd cheering him back to the bench with a Game 2 victory minutes away.
Unlike the first game, Dallas was unable to pester Parker and the Spurs breezed to a 105-84 blowout over the Mavericks on Monday night. It evened the series and handed Dallas one of the worst losses in the history of the playoff rivalry.
“You want to make sure I’m in attack mode every single play,” Parker said. “Even if it’s not to score, to penetrate for my teammates or make great cuts.”
He did it all against the Mavericks, who head back to Dallas for Game 3 on Thursday night. Dallas was trying to send the Spurs to consecutive home playoff losses for the first time since 2002, but couldn’t contain San Antonio’s speedy point guard.
Parker had 27 points in the first half and finished 16 of 22 from the floor. It was a marked difference from Game 1, when the Mavs let Parker score 24 but made him a nonfactor in the second half, when he made just two field goals.
“First of all you have to meet the challenge,” Mavs guard and ex-Arizona Wildcat Jason Terry said of guarding Parker. “We had four or five different guys on him.”
It still wasn’t enough. Parker had 19 points in the first quarter alone, equaling the Mavericks’ total.
Parker departed with about 5 minutes left in the fourth to a raucous ovation – and with the leading man out of the game, many fans headed to the exits as Parker took his seat. Terry had 16 for Dallas, and Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd had 14 apiece. Josh Howard scored just seven points after torching the Spurs for 25 in Game 1.
“I guess a split in San Antonio in a tough building is not bad,” Nowitzki said. “But if you win the first one you always want to get the second one.”
Nowitzki said his left thumb needed to be taped after someone hit it. He said the same thumb was jammed several months ago and that it hurt when hit again Monday, but he was able to finish the game.
The Mavericks beat the Spurs 105-97 on Saturday night for their first road playoff victory in three years. But it was hardly rare territory for San Antonio: The Spurs have come back to win four series after losing Game 1 since 2002.
They put together a convincing response in the second game and the frustration for Dallas could be seen all the way down its bench. Mavs owner Mark Cuban punched a water cooler as San Antonio pulled away in the fourth.