Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich told a referee to kiss his behind prior to halftime Monday night, earning his second ejection of the season.
Led by LaMarcus Aldridge‘s season-high 33 points and 10 rebounds, San Antonio battled back from a 13-point first half lead and sent the Dallas Mavericks home with a 115-108 loss.
An emotional Tony Parker made his season-debut, finishing with six points and four assists in 14 minutes in his first appearance since tearing his right quadriceps tendon May 3 against Houston in Game 2 of the Western Conference semifinals.
Per the AP:
“A little bit like my first game when I was rookie,” Parker said, adding that he almost shed some tears. “But when I saw the crowd getting excited when I got the ball just to bring it up, I got excited. It got me right away, (to be) motivated and be aggressive.”
Parker moved confidently, driving to the basket and making hard cuts to get away from defenders while primarily playing in the first half. He made his first two shots on hard drives to the basket.
“It’s funny because I was talking with Pop (San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich) before the game asking him ’What do you want me to do?’” Parker said. “He was like, just be aggressive, just be yourself, just penetrate and see what happens. So, I just went to the paint, that’s what I do best.”
