This season's opening game between defending champion San Antonio Spurs and rival Dallas Mavericks was indeed a close fight, but the Spurs prevailed over the MavS with a score of 101-100.
Spurs point guard Tony Parker led the team's scoreboard with 23 points, three rebounds, and three assists, reports CBS Sports. Manu Ginobili came in second, scoring 20 points, two rebounds, and six assists.
Shooting guard Marco Belinelli, meanwhile, followed with 15 points, two rebounds, and three assists. Power forward/center Tim Duncan contributed 14 points, 13 rebounds, and two assists to the team. Shooting guard Danny Green scored 13 points, four rebounds, and one assist.
The Bleacher Report said the win was stunning as "San Antonio survived 21 turnovers" without three of its key members this season -- Kawhi Leonard, Tiago Splitter, and Patty Mills.
ESPN earlier reported that the two of the three -- Splitter for calf strain and Leonard for eye infection -- "have officially been ruled out." Patty Mills, meanwhile, is expected to be back after January, it added.
Other San Antonio Spurs ballers who contributed points to the team's victory include Cory Joseph with seven points, one rebound, and two assists; Boris Diaw with five points, 9 rebounds, and six assists; and Aron Baynes with four points and two rebounds, as showed in the CBS Sports scoreboard.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks shooting guard/point guard, Monta Ellis, topped their team's scoreboard, with 26 points, four rebounds, and six assists, CBS Sports' score sheet showed.
He was followed by power forward Dirk Nowitzki with 18 points, six rebounds, and two assists. Point guard/shooting guard Devin Harris came in third with 17 points and five assists.
Other players who contributed to their final score include Jameer Nelson with 9 points and three assists; Tyson Chandler with eight points and 10 rebounds; Richard Jefferson with six points, two rebounds, and one assist; Brandan Wright with six points and five rebounds; Chandler Parsons with five points and four rebounds; and Jae Crowder with five points, CBS Sports said.
ESPN earlier reported said that the Dallas Mavericks have been preparing for the game. Rick Carlisle even said that his team "is ready to play."
"It's been a good month, it's been long. If you're going to start, you might as well start playing the best team in basketball," ESPN quoted Carlisle as saying.
When asked if the absence of three of San Antonio Spurs' three major players would give them an edge toward the game, the coach said they won't "fall into the trap."
"This is how they get everybody...They have a couple of guys out, they throw a couple of guys in there that play like their pants are on fire and they embarrass you with hard play. We've got to match and exceed that, regardless of who is out there," Carlisle said.
Meanwhile, Dallas Mavericks guard Devin Harris said that they should not focus on who is out but they have to focus on San Antonio Spurs current players. "A lot of teams have played them without their main guys and they still come out and play hard...We can't focus on the guys who are out. We've got to pay attention to the guys who are still in because they're still dangerous," he was quoted as saying in the ESPN report.
During the game, the players and management of San Antonio Spurs also received their " 2014 championship rings," Bleacher Report added.
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