Dallas, TX (My Sportsbook) - The San Antonio Spurs try to take a commanding 3-1 lead in their best-of-seven Western Conference Finals series with the Dallas Mavericks when the two teams meet tonight at AmericanAirlines Center. San Antonio posted a 96-83 win in Game 3 to put itself in great shape. Tim Duncan scored 34 points and grabbed 24 rebounds, while Tony Parker added 29 points and eight boards to the victory. The loss was especially costly to the Mavericks. Dirk Nowitzki sprained his knee and may be lost for the series. Nowitzki is not expected to play tonight. "The news is not good," Mavericks coach Don Nelson said. "His knee is very sore. I don't expect he'll play [in Game 4] and I'm not sure if he'll play in this series. We should not take a gamble or a chance on Dirk Nowitzki. I told Dirk he must feel he's totally 100 percent for me to play him again this series." Nick Van Exel led the Mavs with 16 points while Nowitzki added 15. Raja Bell finished with 14 points in the losing effort. Nowitzki's teammates are trying to keep a stiff upper lip. "I think we have enough soldiers in this locker room to put us in position to win, but it'll be tougher,'' Michael Finley said. The winner of this series will face the New Jersey Nets in the NBA Finals. New Jersey punched its ticket by completing a sweep of the Detroit Pistons on Saturday. Game 5 is scheduled for Tuesday night at SBC Center. |
