Duncan, Spurs Say Not So Fast to Mavericks

Thanks to Tim Duncan, there will be a Game 6 for the San Antonio Spurs. But it didn’t come easily.

Duncan tied an NBA postseason record by making his first 12 shots and scored 36 points, Tony Parker scored 27, and the Spurs withstood losing two jump balls in the final 6.3 seconds to keep their title defense alive with a 98-97 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday night.

The Spurs still trail, 3-2, in the best-of-seven Western Conference second-round series.

Dirk Nowitzki scored a series-high 31 points for Dallas, including a three-point basket that tied it at 95-95. Duncan made a pair of free throws to put San Antonio back ahead, then Devin Harris twisted in a layup around Duncan.

Manu Ginobili, who scored 18 points in his return to the starting lineup after coming off the bench the last two games, made only one of two free throws with 1:59 left -- yet that ended up being the winning point.

After several foiled possessions on both ends, including Parker missing an ugly-looking reverse layup with 31 seconds left, Dallas’ long, last series was extended when Nowitzki was fouled trying to receive a pass with 15 seconds left.

The Mavericks got the ball back to Nowitzki and he went up for a go-ahead eight-footer in the lane when Bruce Bowen -- who hadn’t been covering him much all game -- swept in from behind and put his hand over the ball. It was clearly a jump ball with 6.3 seconds left in the game and five seconds left on the shot clock.

Nowitzki swatted the ball backward and it hit Ginobili as he tried to start a fastbreak. Dallas’ Jason Terry dived on it and tried calling timeout, but Ginobili dived in and tied him up.

Officials called it another jump ball, leading to much jostling for position before a mistimed tip went to Dallas’ Josh Howard, who called a timeout with 3.4 seconds left.

Terry got off a tough fadeaway from the right sideline, but missed. Nowitzki got the rebound, but couldn’t convert.