SAN ANTONIO (NBA) - Argentina ace Manu Ginobili played an integral part as the San Antonio Spurs kept alive their hopes of claiming another NBA title.
Ginobili, whose country will be one of the favourites to win the FIBA World Championship later this year, scored 30 points while Tim Duncan had a big second half to lead the Spurs to a 91-86 victory over the Dallas Mavericks, a result that levels up their Western Conference semi-final series at 3-3.
In winning three NBA titles over the last seven years, the Spurs have shown they can handle pressure. They have driven that point home by avoiding elimination for the second straight time.
On Monday, San Antonio will attempt to finish their comeback from a 3-1 deficit, something just eight teams have done in NBA history.
San Antonio entered Friday's clash just 1-4 on the road in the post-season but got huge games from Ginobili and Duncan, while Dallas struggled on offence down the stretch without Jason Terry.
Terry was suspended for one game by the NBA on Thursday for throwing a punch at Michael Finley during a scrum in the waning seconds of Game Five.
Ginobili scored 17 of his points in the first half, keeping the Spurs close as the Mavericks opened a 47-41 lead.
The game was tied at 67-67 after three quarters and Ginobili scored with 6:25 to play in the fourth to give San Antonio their biggest lead, 78-73.
Germany international Dirk Nowitzki scored 26 points for Dallas, including a reverse lay-up with 17 seconds left to make it 87-86.
Ginobili made two free throws and Finley thwarted Dallas again, forcing Nowitzki to shoot an airball from the corner on a three-point attempt.
Tony Parker capped the scoring with a pair of free throws.
Ginobili added 10 rebounds and was 12-of-13 from the line. Duncan scored 16 of his 24 points in the second half and Finley added 16 for San Antonio.
Josh Howard scored 17 points for the Mavericks, who suffered their first home loss of the post-season (4-1).
Pistons back on terms
The Eastern Conference semi-final is also level at 3-3 after the Detroit Pistons claimed a 84-82 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James scored 32 points for Cleveland, but it was not enough as the Pistons got a few clutch shots from Rasheed Wallace and some big offensive rebounds down the stretch to send the series to a game seven.
The Pistons have been in this spot before, and it showed on Friday as they improved to 4-1 in road elimination games since the start of the 2004 post-season.
Their only loss in that span was in Game Seven of the 2005 NBA Finals at San Antonio.
Wallace has been doing more talking that performing lately but came to play when his team needed him the most. After collecting a total of 17 points in the previous two games, he scored 24 in this one, and his three-point-play with 3:02 remaining gave Detroit a 79-77 lead.
On the verge of their first trip to the conference finals in 13 years, the Cavaliers will look back at this one as a missed opportunity, especially with their inability to crash the boards down the stretch.
Richard Hamilton scored 17 points and Chauncey Billups added 15 for the Pistons. James scored 24 of his points in the second half and Zydrunas Ilgauskas chipped in 16 for Cleveland.
PA Sport