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RECAP
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BOX SCORE
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GAME FLOW
SAN ANTONIO (AP) – David Robinson's dunkfest started one minute
into the game when he jumped up, caught the ball and stuffed it
before coming down.
|  | | David Robinson drops in one of his nine dunks. He scored a season-high 34 points. |
Coming off his only absence of the season, Robinson went on to throw down eight more thrilling dunks as he scored a season-high 34 points in the San Antonio Spurs' 91-79 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night.
Robinson's performance, which included six blocked shots and 11
rebounds, came on a night when he wasn't even sure he was going to
play. He sat out Sunday's win over Golden State with a sore back
and still felt a little sore Tuesday morning. But he decided to go
ahead after a good workout and a massage.
Even he was surprised at the outcome.
"That's definitely turning back the clock on all those dunks," said Robinson, who went 14-of-18 from the field. "I like the fast-paced game, I've always liked the fast-paced game, and they like to get it up and down the floor. So I ran real well tonight, and they rewarded me with a lot of passes."
Robinson, who is in his 12th season, brought back memories for
his teammates.
"I think that's the closest to the David of old that I'm going to see," forward Malik Rose said.
With Robinson averaging just 14 points this season, he was the
factor the Mavericks didn't anticipate.
"I'd like to thank Pop (Spurs coach Gregg Popovich) for saving
David Robinson for us," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "I thought
we had a decent game plan, but we didn't have him penciled in for
34 (points)."
Mavericks forward Juwan Howard said they couldn't find a way to stop Robinson, who had his first 30-point game of the season.
"He scored at will, with dunks and short jumpers," Howard said. "He had it going tonight."
Tim Duncan added 25 points and 10 rebounds for the Spurs, who
won their fifth straight game and improved their NBA-leading record
(56-22).
Together, Robinson and Duncan scored 59 of the Spurs' 91 points.
San Antonio won despite 2-of-15 shooting by Derek Anderson, the team's second-leading scorer.
Michael Finley had 25 points for the Mavericks, who lost the
season series 3-1. Dirk Nowitzki had 20.
Howard, who averaged 24.8 points last week, was held to 16 by
Duncan.
The Mavericks (49-28), who lost their second straight game and
dropped two games behind Utah for fourth place in the West, need
one more win for the third 50-win season in franchise history.
After a tight first half with 10 lead changes, the Spurs took
off late in the third quarter with 10 straight points by Robinson
and Malik Rose to go up 68-52.
Robinson capped the spurt with a dunk after he grabbed a rebound
off his own missed layup.
The Mavericks got no closer than seven in the fourth quarter.
Game notes
Duncan and Robinson scored 19 of the Spurs' 21 points in the first quarter. Duncan had 12. ... Nowitzki picked up three of
his four fouls in the first quarter. ... Wang Zhizhi, the first NBA
player born in China, was scoreless in three minutes of play but
picked up two fouls.
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ALSO SEE
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
San Antonio Clubhouse
RECAPS
Cleveland 101
Orlando 78
Miami 83
Philadelphia 81
Milwaukee 105
Chicago 84
Denver 100
Houston 99
San Antonio 91
Dallas 79
Portland 116
Golden State 88
Minnesota 104
Vancouver 91
LA Lakers 106
Phoenix 80
Sacramento 116
LA Clippers 109
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