NEW YORK, (Reuters) – The Dallas Mavericks completed a surprise series victory over the higher-ranked San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, while the Rockets’ bid for a second-round berth was grounded when Houston lost to the Portland Trail Blazers.
The sixth-seeded Mavericks rode Dirk Nowitzki’s 31-point performance to a 106-93 Game Five victory in San Antonio to claim their best-of-seven Western Conference series by a 4-1 margin.
Houston, who could have joined the Mavericks in the second round with a win, lost 88-77 at Portland but still lead the series 3-2.
In other games, the Boston Celtics overcame the stubborn Chicago Bulls 106-104 in overtime and the Orlando Magic cruised to a 91-78 win over the Philadelphia 76ers, giving both winning teams 3-2 advantages in their Eastern Conference match-ups.
In San Antonio, Nowitzki hit 11-of-17 shots for game scoring honours but the German forward received plenty of support as the Mavericks turned back San Antonio’s two-man tandem of Tim Duncan and Tony Parker.
Duncan finished with 30 points and Parker added 26 points and 12 rebounds, but the remainder of the team had just 37 points.
Dallas backed up Nowitzki with five other players in double figures as the Mavs advanced to the second round for the first time in three years. They will play the winner of the Denver-New Orleans series in the conference semi-finals.
“We’re not finished yet,” Dallas’s Jason Terry told reporters after completing a 19-point effort.
Birthday boy Josh Howard added 17 and center Erick Dampier contributed 11 points and 12 rebounds.
