Final: Spurs 96, Mavs 91

Box Score | Highlights

Behind the Box Score

Dirk Nowitzki hit the 7,000th free throw of his career tonight. He’s just the seventh player in NBA history to reach that milestone, and he’s the first 7-footer to do so. This season has been full of milestones for the Big German, and more are surely to come next season. The biggest one to watch for is his quest for 30,000 career points. Currently he’s at 29,472, which means it’s extremely likely he’ll surpass that mark some time before the All-Star break next season, health allowing.

Notebook

  • The loss temporarily bumps the Mavs to seventh place in the Western Conference. However, a Memphis loss tonight in Golden State — where the Warriors are gunning for the single-season wins record — would push the Grizzlies back down to seventh and move the Mavericks up to sixth and a date with Oklahoma City in the first round. If Memphis wins, Dallas will remain in seventh place and face off against San Antonio in round one. Either way, the Mavs will begin the playoffs on the road before coming home for Game 3.

  • Now that it’s the end of the season, it’s time to see where some of the Mavs’ all-time stats stack up. For starters, Wesley Matthews hit 189 3-pointers this season, which is the third-most in a season by any Maverick in franchise history. As a team, Dallas made a franchise-record 806 3s and attempted a record 2,341. Nowitzki scored 1,372 points this season, his second-most in a campaign since the championship year in 2010-11. Finally, Dallas made the playoffs for the 15th time in 16 seasons. Not bad.

  • Raymond Felton had a heck of a game tonight, scoring 22 points. The Mavs needed every one of them. He’s been on quite a tear lately, having scored 21 just a few days ago against the Clippers. Felton has really thrived in the off-guard role this season, and it’s been a big blessing to the Mavericks, who have needed his penetration and facilitating all year long, especially while Deron Williams and J.J. Barea have missed time due to injury.

    What’s Next

    The Mavs (42-40) have qualified for the playoffs, but their opponent and the date of Game One are both yet to be determined. Keep it locked on Mavs.com and follow @dallasmavs on Twitter for up-to-date information as it comes in.

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