NBA Playoff Notebook: Dallas has come to play

All-Star Dirk Nowitzki, forward Josh Howard and guard Devin Harris came up big in Game 2 for the fourth-seeded Mavericks, who collected a 113-91 victory over the Spurs at the AT&T Center. Howard finished with a team-high 27 points and nine rebounds, while Nowitzki netted 21 a pulled down nine boards.

"It was a great game," said Howard after Game 2’s victory. "We just wanted to cut down on our mistakes, get back to Mavs basketball, and that’s running. It was a great finish for us. Me, I was the same old Josh. Whatever I can do to help my team win, if that means score 20 points, if that means get rebounds, then that is what I’ll do."

Harris, who started four games for the Mavs during the regular season, made his first-career start of the postseason in Game 2 against the Spurs. He ended with 20 points, four rebounds and three assists in 32-plus minutes of action. The Wisconsin product, who was selected by the Washington Wizards in the first round (fifth overall) of the 2004 NBA Draft and then had his draft rights traded with Jerry Stackhouse and Christian Laettner to the Mavericks for Antawn Jamison in June 2004, was 7-for-12 from the field.

"He’s (Harris) been big for us," said Nowitzki. "He’s so athletic and can get to the rim. He is a great finisher and tonight he hit a couple of big in between shots. He’s also another ball-handler to have out there on the floor and it makes it tough for them to defend our pick and roll."

Stackhouse contributed 19 points off the bench, while Jason Terry scored 11 and handed out three assists for the Mavericks, who are 0-2 in playoff series against the Spurs. San Antonio knocked out Dallas in five contests in the 2001 semis and defeated the Mavericks in six games in the 2003 conference finals.

Dallas outrebounded the Spurs, 39-34, and committed just six turnovers in the victory. The Mavericks, who made 46.2 percent (6-of-13) of their attempts from beyond the arc, held San Antonio to 45.5 percent (30-for-66) from the floor and forced the Spurs into committing 14 turnovers.

"We were not flawless tonight, no matter what the stat sheet or scoreboard says," said Dallas head coach Avery Johnson. "We still have room to improve. We are not twenty points better than the Spurs. They are still the champions and we are just trying to grind out the series."

Tim Duncan, who registered a game-high 31 points and 13 rebounds during San Antonio’s 87-85 victory in Game 1, led the Spurs with 28 points and nine boards in the second game of the set. He was 8-of-10 from the field and 12- for-14 from the charity stripe.

"He (Duncan) was great," said San Antonio head coach Gregg Popovich after Game 2’s loss. "He’s playing Tim Duncan playoff basketball. It’s unfortunate he didn’t get a lot of help, but it’s because of the way Dallas played. Their defense was excellent."

Winning on the road against the Spurs in the postseason was huge for the confidence of the Mavericks, who will host Games 3 and 4 at American Airlines Center. They can grab control of the series if they are able to take care of business at home. After a tough two-point loss in Game 1, it was imperative that Dallas come back strong in Game 2 and go home with the series knotted at 1-1.

"You don’t want the Spurs to have two games on you," said Johnson. "I don’t know if any team is that good."

The Mavericks, who have reached the conference finals twice in franchise history, accomplished what they had to in San Antonio. They now have a great chance to show their fans and the rest of the NBA that they can knock off the defending champs in a best-of-seven series. Dallas can get one giant step closer towards representing the Western Conference in the NBA Finals with a win over the Spurs.