By PAUL J. WEBER, Associated Press Writer
SAN ANTONIO (AP)—Blood dripped from Manu Ginobili’s(notes) nose. He had caught an elbow from Dirk Nowitzki(notes), then disappeared into the locker room while leaving a trail of red blotches behind him on the tunnel floor.
He didn’t know yet his nose was broken. That diagnosis would have to wait.
Ginobili still had work to do, so he patched up his gushing nose with a bandage and came back late in the third, then scored 11 of his 15 points in the fourth to lead the San Antonio Spurs to a 94-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night.
The Spurs took a 2-1 lead by surviving the first shot at home from the NBA’s best road team. The Mavs will try again Sunday night in Game 4—or risk facing a steep deficit.
“If Dirk or Jason Kidd(notes) get hurt, people like that who are ultimate competitors, they play unless they can’t do it,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s what (Manu) did.”
Ginobili was diagnosed with a nasal fracture and did not speak to the media after the game. He was scheduled to undergo a CT scan on Saturday.
The Mavs have their own problems to diagnose. Nowitzki made good on his vow after the Game 2 loss to hit the looks he got last time, scoring 35 points.
He and J.J. Barea jump-started the Mavs back into the game with a 17-0 run in the third quarter that gave Dallas a lead for only the second time in the series since their Game 1 win when Nowitzki had 36 points.
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