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Aldridge returns to lead Spurs to 119-109 victory against rival Mavericks

LaMarcus Aldridge, who had missed six straight games with a shoulder injury, scored 24 points as S.A. avoided getting swept by Dallas for the first time.
Credit: Photo by Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to KENS5.com
LaMarcus Aldridge scored 11 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter to help the Spurs rally for a 119-109 win over the Dallas Mavericks on March 10.

SAN ANTONIO — The Spurs had missed power forward LaMarcus Aldridge more than they thought.

Aldridge, who had been sidelined for six straight games with a strained right shoulder, returned to the lineup Tuesday night and led an inspired Spurs team to a 119-109 victory over the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center.

Aldridge led the Silver and Black with 24 points, and he scored 11 of those in a fourth-quarter comeback that sent the Mavs to their second straight loss.

San Antonio (27-36) trails Memphis by 4.5 games for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Dallas (39-27) remained seventh in the West.

The Mavs were 3-0 against the Spurs, who avoided getting swept by Dallas in a season series for the first time since they started playing each other in 1980. 

Aldridge, the Spurs' leading rebounder and second-leading scorer, found his rhythm just in time to lead the Silver and Black's charge in the fourth quarter. Down by 13 early in the second half and by two after three quarters, the Spurs outscored the Mavs 36-24 in the final period, 

"It was frustrating at first because I had a lot of good looks that I normally make, but I was just rusty," said Aldridge, who was 10 of 23 from the field. "So I was just trying to stay with it.

"My teammates just told me to keep shooting, so I was trying to do it. But I was getting frustrated for a while. Then, luckily, the worm turned and I played better down the stretch."

Credit: Photo by Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to KENS5.com
Spurs guard Marco Belinelli was 6 of 8 from the field, including 4 of 6 from beyond the arc, in Tuesday night's 119-109 victory against the Mavericks.

Aldridge scored his 11 fourth-quarter points on 5-of-7 shooting and even drained a three-pointer to give the Silver and Black their biggest lead, 115-103, with 1:27 left.

"You add one of your best scorers and offense changes," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's pretty obvious. What I was pleased with was he shot the ball.

"He didn't shoot it as well as he is able to, but he didn't shy away from it at all. He just kept shooting when he was open, which was great, and he ended up hitting a couple of big ones for us."

San Antonio shot 61.9 percent overall (13-21) and 57.1 percent (4-7) from three-point range in the fourth quarter. 

Six other Spurs scored in double figures – Rudy Gay (17), Marco Belinelli (16), Trey Lyles (14), Derrick White (14), DeMar DeRozan (13) and Patty Mills (12). DeRozan also dished out a season-high 12 assists.

Belinelli was 6 of 8 from the field, including 4 of 6 from three-point distance, and Lyles was 4 of 7 from beyond the arc.

"We just stayed the course," Popovich said. "I thought we had a lot of guys play well, but I thought everyone was competitive and physical, and they just kept going.

"When they scored 109 instead of 120 and 130, you get a chance to win the game. I thought everybody wanted the game badly. They went after it and they took it."

Credit: Photo by Antonio Morano bit.ly/XR79FT / Special to KENS5.com
Rudy Gay scored 17 points in the Spurs' 119-109 win over Dallas on March 10 in the team's last game before the NBA season was suspended the next day.

Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 38 points on 13-of-26 shooting, including 6 of 13 from the three-point line. Tim Hardaway Jr., who was 4 of 9 from beyond the arc, finished with 20 points, and Dorian Finney-Smith (15) and Maxi Kleber (12) rounded out Dallas' double-figure scoring.

The Silver and Black shot 51.7 percent overall (46-89) and 46.9 percent (15-32) from three-point distance for the game. Dallas was 45.7 (42-92) from the field and 38.6 percent (17-44) from beyond the arc.

San Antonio recorded 32 assists in the game, with DeRozan and White (9) combining for 21.

The Spurs outscored the Mavs 29-26 in the third quarter, cutting Dallas' lead to 85-83 heading into the final period.

Up by five at the half, Dallas started the third quarter with an 8-0 run to take its biggest lead of the game, 67-54. But the Spurs responded with a 10-0 run, trimming the deficit to three.

Gay tied it at 85 before nailing a three-pointer from the corner to give S.A. its first lead, 88-85, with 11:07 left.

Sparked by Doncic, who scored 18 points and was 4 of 7 from three-point range, the Mavs led 59-54 at the half.

Belinelli (13) and Aldridge (10) led the Spurs' scoring in the first half.

Dallas shot 47.9 percent overall (23-48) and 47.8 percent (11-23) from the three-point line in the first half.

The Spurs were 22 of 46 (47.8 percent) from the field in the first two quarters. They were 6 of 16 (37.5 percent) from beyond the arc.

Tuesday night's meeting with Dallas was the first of a four-game homestand for the Spurs, who don't play again until they host Denver on Friday. 

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