The San Antonio Spurs defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, 115-108, but the bigger story of the day for the Spurs was the return of their guard, Tony Parker, following a lengthy absence.
Parker played in just 14 minutes as a starter but was able to make an impact, scoring six points on 3-of-7 shooting from the field and dishing out four assists in his first game back in almost seven months.
The 35-year-old Parker didn’t hide his emotions while fielding questions after the game, describing to reporters how thrilled he was to be able to play again. Via Michael C. Wright of ESPN:
“No, it was just a lot of emotion, but almost, almost,” Parker said when asked if he shed a tear. “I'm always amazed by all the love from Spurs fans. It's hard to describe the feeling, but I was just very excited and just wanted to thank everybody for all the support. The city of San Antonio has been amazing, all the fans, the Spurs organization. It was just a great journey, just a great game tonight.”
Tony Parker previously spent months recovering from a ruptured quadriceps tendon he sustained during a playoff match against the Houston Rockets last May. That season, Parker averaged 10.1 points and 4.5 assists in 63 games played.
During Parker’s time away from the court, the Spurs relied mostly on Patty Mills and Dejounte Murray to handle the point guard responsibilities. Parker is still on a minute restriction, however, so Mills and Murray should continue to see significant minutes likely coming off the bench.
Parker and the Spurs next face the Memphis Grizzlies at home this Wednesday.
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