DALLAS — Manu Ginobili scored 10 points in a 19-0 third-quarter rally that sent the San Antonio Spurs past Dallas 88-81 Sunday, but the Mavericks came away worried mostly about the status of reigning league MVP Dirk Nowitzki.
Nowitzki hurt his lower left leg during a nasty spill late in San Antonio's game-breaking stretch. Both the ankle and knee seemed to buckle when he landed after running to block a shot. He slapped the court and put a hand to his head in agony, then sat motionless for a few minutes. He put no weight on the leg leaving the court, then was seen limping into the X-ray room.
The team said he would be re-evaluated Monday.
San Antonio actually went ahead on that play, with Tim Duncan grabbing the loose ball and scoring, wiping out what had been a 12-point Dallas lead only minutes before. Duncan added a free throw, too, and the Spurs were headed to their third straight win since a 1-6 slump.
The Spurs got some breathing room in the tight Western Conference playoff race because the Mavericks are right behind them in the standings. San Antonio also won the season series 3-1, which would help should they wind up tied — but Dallas may have to worry about just making the playoffs, especially if Nowitzki's injury is as severe as it looked.
The Mavericks lost their third straight, dropping them to 0-8 against teams with winning records since adding Jason Kidd. They are 9-8 overall with the All-Star guard.
At 44-26, Dallas was seventh in the West, ahead of Golden State, which was 42-26 before playing the Lakers on Sunday night. Mavs fans may need to be more concerned about the next team in the standings — Denver, which was 41-28 before playing Toronto on Sunday afternoon.
