Dallas loses game to Spurs, Nowitzki to injury

Dallas on Sunday lost 88-81 to the San Antonio Spurs and lost league MVP Dirk Nowitzki to a leg injury.

Nowitzki was injured during a fall in the third quarter of Dallas, but left the arena without knowing how bad it is. The team termed it a "lower left leg injury" and said more details would come Monday.

"I fell awkwardly and my left leg got caught underneath of me," Nowitzki said in a statement. "I am going to get re-evaluated in the morning and I hope to have more information then."

San Antonio won its third straight since a 1-6 slump and got some breathing room over Dallas in the Western Conference playoff race. The Spurs also won the season series 3-1, which would help should the teams wind up tied — but the Mavericks may have to worry about just making the playoffs if Nowitzki’s injury is as severe as it looked.

Dallas hasn’t beaten a winning team since Jason Kidd arrived. The Mavs are 0-8, including their last three, all at home. They were 29-4 at home — without losing as many as two in a row — before falling to the Lakers, Celtics and now the Spurs.

With 12 games left, the Mavericks are 44-26. They’re ahead of Golden State for the final playoff spot, but the team they may have to watch most is Denver, which is on the outside looking in. The Nuggets were 41-28 going into a game at Toronto on Sunday afternoon.

Manu Ginobili led San Antonio with 26 points. He started the game-breaking rally with a layup and a 3-pointer, then hit a 3 to cap it. He also was 11-of-11 from the foul line. Dallas took only 11 free throws all game.

Tim Duncan finished with 19 points and 13 rebounds, despite missing 11 of his first 12 shots. He made six of his last nine.