SPURS 101, MAVERICKS 100
SAN ANTONIO -- Tony Parker had 23 points, including the game-winning three-pointer, Manu Ginobili added 20 points and the San Antonio Spurs capped an emotional NBA championship commemoration with a thrilling 101-100 victory over the Dallas Mavericks in their season opener Tuesday night.
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.
Monta Ellis scored 26 points, Dirk Nowitzki added 18 points and Devin Harris had 17 points for Dallas.
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.
It was the teams' first meeting since Dallas took San Antonio to seven games in the opening round of the playoffs last season -- the Spurs' toughest test during their run to a fifth NBA championship. The rematch proved just as tense after a sluggish beginning.
After Nowitzki gave Dallas a 100-98 lead with a fade-away jumper over Boris Diaw with 1:37 remaining, Parker drained a three-pointer in front of the Mavericks' bench off a feed from Diaw for a 101-100 lead. Parker was 4 for 4 on three-pointers, matching a career high for threes in a game.
Chandler Parsons, who left the Houston Rockets to sign with the Mavericks, missed a three-pointer with 0.4 seconds remaining that would have won the game. His shot hit the front of the rim.
San Antonio committed five turnovers in the first eight minutes and missed its first three shots before returning to the fluid ball sharing and long-range shooting that resulted in a five-game rout of the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals.
PELICANS 101, MAGIC 84
NEW ORLEANS -- Anthony Davis had 26 points, 17 rebounds and nine blocks, and the New Orleans Pelicans opened the regular season with a 101-84 victory over the Orlando Magic.
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 a double-double with 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.
Sports on 10/29/2014