The Dallas Mavericks have been one of the best teams on the road this season because they aren’t afraid to walk into an opponent’s arena and hit the home team right in the face.
Unfortunately for San Antonio Spurs star Manu Ginobli, that saying became literal on Friday, April 23, when he was elbowed in the nose by Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki. But even a bloody, broken nose didn’t stop Ginobli and his team from pushing past Dallas, 94-90, in Game 3 of their Western Conference first-round match up.
Ginobli briefly left the game to bandage his nose, but returned to help his team close out the win and finished with 15 points and a team-high seven assists.
“I had no doubt that he was going to return,” said San Antonio star Tim Duncan, who led his team with 25 points. “He has a strong nose on him.”
Nowitzki led all scorers with 35 points and seven rebounds in the losing effort. Dallas guards Jason Terry and J.J. Barea added 17 points and 14 points, respectively.