San Antonio Spurs will meet the Dallas Mavericks Monday Night: Watch FREE: Live Online Streaming NBA PLAYOFFS Matchup From American Airlines Arena at 9:30 PM ET

Dirk Nowitzki had the only miss in a final minute filled with clutch shots by Dallas and San Antonio, topped by Vince Carter's buzzer-beating 3-pointer that gave the Mavericks a Game 3 win.

It was the 7-foot sharpshooter's third straight playoff game with less than 20 points, something that hasn't happened since his first postseason in 2001, also against his rival from South Texas.

Yet, the Mavericks have consecutive wins over the top-seeded Spurs after losing 10 in a row to them, and a 2-1 first-round series lead heading into Game 4 on Monday night in Dallas.

"You take something away, you give something up," San Antonio coach Gregg Popovich said. "You can't stop everything. You've just got to stop it more than the other team does."

Popovich and Dallas coach Rick Carlisle are harping on defensive stops after the Mavericks' 109-108 win Saturday. Carter's improbable pump-fake 3 with just 1.7 seconds to get off a shot was the ninth straight possession to end with points in the final 1:37. Both teams shot better than 50 percent.

"We stole one," Nowitzki told the team's website. "We didn't execute quite as well as we did in the first two, especially the defensive game plan. I think Monta and Vince bailed us out a little bit the last couple of minutes with some great plays."

Nowitzki isn't playing poorly. He's just deferring to teammates because the Spurs won't leave him open on the 3-point line or give him much room to operate from inside the arc either.

As a result, guards Ellis, Jose Calderon, and Devin Harris have taken turns with dominant stretches.

After shooting 33 percent through the first two games, Nowitzki had his series high with 18 points in Game 3 on 7-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds, three assists and two steals.

"I think him just being on the floor still makes us better, even when he's not making shots," Ellis said. "Because teams still respect him, he's still a threat on the floor, so it really still opens up a lot."

Of course, the conversation would be entirely different without Carter's unlikely 3.

"They're going to come out and probably hit us with everything," the 16-year veteran said. "We can't get comfortable."

The game will be live streaming online at www.nbalivestreamfree.net.