DALLAS -- Monta Ellis is headed to his first Game 7, and DeJ

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DALLAS -- Monta Ellis is headed to his first Game 7, and DeJuan Blair gets a chance to play his old team in San Antonio one more time after all. Dallas star Dirk Nowitzki will return to the site of one of the best moments of his stellar career. Ellis scored 12 of his 29 points to lead a fourth-quarter comeback that also got an energetic boost from Blair in his return after getting suspended, and the Mavericks forced a deciding game in their first-round series with top-seeded San Antonio, beating the Spurs 113-111 on Friday night. "Put all of our chips on the table and see what happens," said Ellis, whose 3-pointer put eighth-seeded Dallas ahead for a good at 94-92 with 5 minutes to go. Tony Parker matched Nowitzki with 22 points to lead the heavily favoured Spurs, who are stuck in a tossup series after they won all four games against the Mavericks during the regular season and had a 10-game winning streak against them after taking the opener. The only other time these teams played a Game 7, Nowitzki had an improbable three-point play to force overtime in San Antonio in 2006. The Mavericks went on to win the second-round series and reached the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history. "Well, its the ultimate thrill," said Nowitzki, who is 4-0 in Game 7s in his career. "Nothing matters anymore. Just this one game." And Blair will be there. He missed Game 5 in South Texas after the league suspended him for kicking Tiago Splitter in the head when he was called for a foul when the pair got tangled up and fell to the court in Game 4. He never said he was mad that the league suspended him, but he showed it, knocking Parker the court with a hard screen that led to a three-point play at the end of the first half for Devin Harris. Then, he had four rebounds and two steals in the fourth quarter -- and finished with 10 points and 14 boards for his second double-double of the series. "His energy was great," said his old coach, San Antonios Gregg Popovich. "He was a man possessed on both ends of the floor. Thought he was really super." Blair had plenty of time to think about Game 6 after watching the previous game alone in his hotel room in San Antonio. "Winning on their court would be the best revenge," said Blair, who spent his first four seasons with the Spurs and was with them for a heartbreaking loss to Miami in the NBA Finals last year. "We just have to bring it next game." The Mavericks handed the Spurs their first road defeat when leading after three quarters this season on the same floor where Vince Carter had given them a 2-1 series lead and sent the crowd into hysterics with an improbable winning 3-pointer. Fans were standing the entire fourth quarter this time, when the Mavericks trailed by five points to start the final 12 minutes before a 14-2 run for an eight-point lead. Parker got the Spurs close again and had a duel of driving layups with Ellis in the final 2 minutes. Parker, who had 13 of his points in the fourth and added six assists, spun through the lane before shovelling one up over Nowitzki with his left hand to get the Spurs within 106-105. The Mavericks pushed the lead back to six before the Spurs made it interesting again with 3-pointers from Danny Green and Patty Mills. It wasnt over until a shot by Mills on an inbound play with 0.4 seconds left was ruled to have been late. It was short anyway. "I thought we just made too many mistakes tonight," said Tim Duncan, who had 16 points and nine rebounds. "Giving up 37 points in the last quarter is just too much for us. Defensively, weve got to be a little more solid than that." Both teams had six players in double figures, with Splitter making 11 of 12 free throws for a playoff career-high 19 points. Danny Green had 17, matching his total for the first five games of the series combined, and Tim Duncan had 16 points and nine rebounds. Carter finished with 13, and Jose Calderon had 12 points and six assists. NOTES: The Spurs were 25-0 on the road when leading after three quarters before this game. Theyre now 55-2 overall for the season. ... The Mavericks had seven turnovers in the second quarter, and the sloppy stretch helped the Spurs cut an 11-point deficit to two at 41-39. Dallas had seven more turnovers in the third, when a six-point lead turned into a five-point deficit. ... Mavericks C Brandan Wright did not play for the first time in the series after playing a series-high 26 minutes in Game 5 when Dallas pick-and-roll defence was shredded. Carl Banks Giants Jersey . Scheffler told The Associated Press on Wednesday he made the choice because he had three concussions over the past four years. Oshane Ximines Jersey . 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The right-handed hitter had an International League high, 18-game hitting streak this season and currently owns an IL high 26-game on base streak.TORONTO - Dwane Casey has cautioned all season that there would be a night when the Toronto Raptors sizzling offence wouldnt be enough to overcome its lagging defence.That night was Friday.LeBron James scored 24 points as the Cleveland Cavaliers exacted some revenge over a Raptors team missing DeMar DeRozan, beating Toronto 105-91.Tonight we couldnt buy a bucket. We couldnt hit the side of a barn with a bass fiddle, Casey said. Were better than that.Our bad offensive shooting night. . . made our defence even worse. It was a snowball effect. They whupped us, they spanked us.Amir Johnson had a season-high 27 points, and Kyle Lowry added 22 points and nine assists. But that wasnt enough to carry an East-leading Raptors team (15-5) that had only three players score in double figures — James Johnson finished with 11.Tristan Thompson of Brampton, Ont., finished with season highs for both points (21) and rebounds (14) for the Cavs (11-7), who stretched their winning streak to six games.The Raptors had topped the Cavaliers 110-93 on Nov. 22, battling back from a 19-point first-quarter deficit. The result worked as a wakeup call for Cleveland, who promptly went on a five-game winning streak.They made it six Friday night, leading from the opening whistle in front of a star-studded Air Canada Centre capacity crowd of 19,800 that included NBA legends Magic Johnson, Charles Barkley and Dikembe Mutombo, who gave his signature finger wag to the ACC crowd when shown on the Jumbotron.Just missing shots, Lowry said on the loss. I dont think it was anything we did differently, G (Greivis Vasquez) had a rough night (shooting 2-for-11), I had a rough night (7-for-18). Well come in to the gym on Sunday and get our shots up, and Im sure the shots we missed tonight will fall Monday (when the Raptors host Denver).Johnson, Barkley, Mutombo, and Tracy McGrady were in Toronto as part of the Raptors celebration of Nelson Mandela, who died a year ago to the day.It was a beautiful day, Casey said. To see (Johnson, Barkley and Mutombo), all the guys that were a big part of the NBAs history, and just the message that Nelson Mandela sent throughout the world was huge.Its bigger than basketball, and that was the theme of the night for our players. I lived it, I went through it, I understand it. And it meant a lot to our players and it was a magnificent night for our organization.On the court, however, the Raptors — now 2-2 without DeRozan, whos out with a torn groin tendon — were flat-footed all night. They trailed by as many as 14 points and went into the fourth down 76-64. The Raptors managed to pull within six points three times in the final 12 minutes, and a dunk by Amir Johnson pulled them to within 97-91 with 1:53 to play. But that was as close as they would get.I know this team tonight wasnt us, Casey said. First game back from a weest-coast trip, the worst team you want to see is a team as talented as Cleveland.ddddddddddddThe Raptors missed DeRozans defence as well as his scoring.He takes the challenge of guarding the best player out there on the other side coming down to the fourth quarter, Lowry said.The Cavs shot 49 per cent on the night to Torontos 41, and outrebounded them 48-40.Thompson was a huge spark off the bench for Cleveland.Every night coach challenges us, the bench, to come and bring life, Thompson said. We dont want our stars to play so heavy minutes and drain themselves out so we have to be able to come in and keep the energy high, and thats what we did tonight.The two teams meet again Tuesday in Cleveland.The one positive on the night for the Raptors was the presence of Johnson, Barkley and Mutombo, who all received standing ovations when they were introduced.It was great, man, said Amir Johnson. It was kind of like the Staples Center, you see guys left and right. We need some more of that.Amazing. Amazing, Lowry added. I wish we couldve won for them but thats a humbling experience. I grew up watching all those guys. Just the fact that I got to be around those guys and see them and them watching our game, here for a good cause is amazing.McGrady was honoured with a video tribute during a first-quarter timeout as part of the Raptors 20th anniversary celebrations, and received a standing ovation from the ACC crowd.McGrady said pre-game that he was looking forward to the video.Cool to see what I used to do a little bit, I mean, its been what . . .16 . . . 16 years, damn, McGrady said.McGrady was the Raptors ninth pick in the 1997 draft and played three seasons in Toronto.When I started playing at SkyDome, you do something exciting, its like crickets in the building, McGrady said. You just didnt get that great excitement, that warm reception that you need to get when youre playing in front of your home crowd. We built that my last year here when we made the playoffs, first team that made the playoffs in Raptors history.Its great to see the way it is today. I feel good knowing that what I went through and what I witnessed to what it is now. Im proud to say that I was a Raptor.The Cavaliers raced out to an early lead Friday, taking an eight-point advantage on a three-pointer by former Raptor Shawn Marion midway through the first quarter. The visitors took a 30-21 advantage into the second.Back-to-back threes from James Jones gave the Cavaliers a 14-point lead less than two minutes into the second quarter. The Raptors chipped away at the deficit, and went into the dressing room trailing 51-44.The Raptors carried their momentum into the third, and Lowrys three at midway through the quarter gave the Raptors a 58-57 lead. But the Cavs ended the quarter with a 19-6 run to go into the fourth quarter up by 12. ' ' '