Mavs hope to force Game 7 with Spurs

Basketball Betting Lines

04/29/2010 - (Sportsbook Betting Lines) - The Dallas Mavericks were the NBA's best road team this season. Now, Rick Carlisle's club will have to find a way to win one more game away from Big D tonight in order to save its season and force a deciding Game 7 against the San Antonio Spurs in the Western Conference quarterfinals.

The second-seeded Mavs staved off elimination on Tuesday in Dallas when Caron Butler poured in a playoff career-best 35 points to go with 11 rebounds in a convincing 103-81 Game 5 win over the Spurs.

Butler was the offense's focal point, hitting 12-of-24 shots and 8-of-9 from the free throw line for the Mavs, who will have to duplicate their season- ending three-game win streak against the Spurs to move into the conference semis.

Dallas is facing long odds as only eight teams in NBA history have responded from a 3-1 series deficit to advance. At least a pair of Mavs know what it takes, however. Carlisle (Detroit, 2003) and forward Shawn Marion (Phoenix, 2006) were a part of the two most recent teams to pull off a comeback when down 3-1.

Dirk Nowitzki chipped in with 15 points and nine rebounds in Game 5 for Dallas, which was an NBA-best 27-14 as the visitor during the regular season but lost Games 3 and 4 last week in the Alamo City. Jason Terry added 12 points, while Jason Kidd and Marion each had 10.

"Our guys aren't going to mail it in," said Carlisle. "There is a lot of pride on the line in every game. The series isn't over, even though a lot of people are assuming that it is. It's pretty obvious that it's going to be defense and the ability to get the ball in transition, where good things happen for us."

Tony Parker came off the bench and tallied 18 points, 17 in the first half on Tuesday for the Spurs, who had won the previous three games in this series. San Antonio, which shot a putrid 35.9 percent from the field, got 12 points from George Hill and 11 from Tim Duncan in defeat.

"It was a case of (Dallas coming out) with the mental and physical toughness," said Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich. "Our starting group wasn't very good in either category. It was disappointing how we came out mentally. Closing out a series -- that game is always the most difficult game of the season, that's for sure."

Since the NBA went to best-of-seven first round format in 2003, a No. 7 seed has never topped a second seed. Meanwhile, San Antonio has succeeded in its last four chances to finish off a playoff opponent on its home floor. The last time the Spurs let a team escape elimination in south Texas was in 2006, against these very same Mavericks.

These two rivals have met in the playoffs four times previously, including last season. The Spurs won sets in 2001 and 2003 before Dallas bounced back to win a pair of series in 2006 and 2009. Last season, the Mavs took down San Antonio in the quarterfinals in just five games.

If necessary, Game 7 will be back in Dallas on Saturday.

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