MAVS TRUMP SPURS

Dirk Nowitzki was amazed. Even after hitting nearly every shot he took, the San Antonio Spurs still weren't sending more defenders at him. So he kept shooting. And scoring. Nowitzki made 12 of 14 shots and all 12 of his free throws, coming up with 36 points to carry the Dallas Mavericks to a 100-94 victory over the rival Spurs on Sunday night in Game 1 of their first-round series. "Sometimes," Nowitzki said, "you have one of those nights where the basket is big." (USA Today)