Todd Archer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports:
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For the first time in the playoff series, San Antonio double-teamed Dirk Nowitzki from start to finish in Sunday’s Game 4. The result was just 10 shots by the Mavericks’ leading scorer and a 92-89 Spurs victory.
It was only the third time in Nowitzki’s last 49 playoff games that he had taken 10 or fewer shots.
He made four of nine shots in a Game 4 win against the Spurs last year, scoring 12 points, but the Mavericks won that game.
Nowitzki expects more of the same in Game 5.
“In Game 3, I had a pretty good second half,” Nowitzki said. “They figured, ‘We better get the ball out of his hands.’ They came from the beginning on the block. They came on the isolations up top. They just got the ball out of my hands, and we didn’t make enough plays on the weak side.
“I’ve still got to find a way, even with double teams, to pick my spots, be more aggressive. Obviously, 10 shots is not going to cut it.”
