Bodog Beat

Dirk Nowitzki grips his injured left leg after falling awkwardly. (AP Images)

Some losses hurt more than others. This one could crush the Dallas Mavericks.

Not only did they fall to arch-rival San Antonio on Sunday, the Mavs watched MVP Dirk Nowitzki whimpering on the floor with what could be a serious leg injury.

After Nowitzki was hurt, San Antonio went on a 19-0 run en route to a 88-81 upset in Dallas. The Spurs beat the point spread, which was 3.5 in the Mavericks’ favor.

Nowitzki fell awkwardly early in the second half when he attempted to block a shot. He had to leave the game with what the Mavs called a “lower left leg injury”. He will be re-evaluated and the results of X-rays and other medical tests could be know n as soon as Monday.

With him out, the Spurs rallied from a 12-point deficit to steal the win and extend its streak to three straight victories. Manu Ginobili had 26 points, and Tim Duncan added 19 points and 13 rebounds. Meanwhile, Dallas fell to 0-8 against teams with winning records since acquiring Jason Kidd. They’ve lost three straight at home and their hold on the final playoff spot in the West could be in jeopardy.

In other NBA action on Sunday:

Denver 109, Toronto 100: The Nuggets continued their playoff push by coming back after trailing by 17 points in Toronto. Allen Iverson had 36 points and Carmelo Anthony added 33 for the Nuggets, who were 2.5-point underdogs.

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