Tony Parker made a clutch shot in the fourth quarter. Manu Ginobili had a big game, and Tim Duncan contributed with a double-double.
San Antonio’s efficient performance on opening night looked awfully familiar.
Parker made a go-ahead 3-pointer with 1:07 remaining, and the Spurs began their title defense with a thrilling 101-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks Tuesday night in San Antonio.
Parker finished with 23 points and Ginobili scored 20 for San Antonio, which shot 53 percent from the field. Tim Duncan had 14 points and 13 rebounds for his 14th double-double in a season opener, the most by any player in NBA history, according to Elias Sports.
Advertisement
Dirk Nowitzki gave Dallas a 100-98 lead with a fadeaway jumper over Boris Diaw with 1:37 remaining, but Parker drained a 3-pointer 30 seconds later in front of the Mavericks’ bench off a feed from Diaw. Parker was 4 for 4 from long range, matching a career high for 3s in a game.
‘‘It was a great basketball game, you can’t kick off the season with a better game than this for the fans — there’s no way,’’ Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. ‘‘Unfortunately, the slim margins of winning and losing are all that anybody remembers. If we get one more stop, one more basket than we’re all him here singing a different tune. That’s the world we live in the Western Conference.’’
Monta Ellis scored 26 points for Dallas, and Nowitzki had 18. Devin Harris finished with 17 points.
Chandler Parsons, who signed with the Mavericks in the offseason, missed a 3-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining. His shot hit the front of the rim.
The miss extended San Antonio’s streak to five wins following a championship celebration, but it was the first since capturing its last title in 2007.
‘‘It’s special,’’ Ginobili said. ‘‘I think it helps you actually. Sometimes you don’t play that sharp because it’s the first game of the season. You have to move from the success of the previous season to the new beginning. But it all gets your emotions up so you want to get out on the court and do a lot of things, hustle, jump, run and win.’’
Advertisement
Following a video recap of the 2014 season narrated by actor and Spurs fan Samuel L. Jackson, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver presented San Antonio’s staff and players with their championship rings. The inscription inside the ring was ‘‘Good to Great,’’ which was coach Gregg Popovich’s mantra last season.
Pelicans 101, Magic 84 — Anthony Davis had 26 points, 17 rebounds, and 9 blocks, and host New Orleans opened with a victory over Orlando.
Ryan Anderson, coming back from surgery on a herniated disk that cost him more than half of last season, scored 22 points
The Pelicans’ new 7-foot center, Omer Asik, had 14 points and 17 rebounds.
The tandem of Davis and Asik dominated the interior. They combined for 16 offensive rebounds, and the Pelicans finished with 32 second-chance points.
Davis tied a career high for blocked shots, and Asik’s five blocks equaled his career best.
Tobias Harris scored 25 points for Orlando, while Nikola Vucevic added 15 points and 23 rebounds.
Davis could have had his first triple-double and set a franchise single-game high for blocks if he had gotten one more, but coach Monty Williams subbed Davis out — to a standing ovation — with 2:29 left.
Advertisement