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Texas Two-Step: Spurs, Mavs tangle in Big D

Mar 17, 2012 - 2:37 PM (Sports Network) - The Dallas Mavericks will try to shave into the San Antonio Spurs' lead atop the Southwest Division standings when the two rivals collide tonight at American Airlines Center.

Dallas is 5 1/2 games behind the Spurs for the division lead and has won two in a row since a three-game slide and will close out a three-game homestand tonight. After disposing of Washington on Tuesday, the Mavericks dispatched Charlotte by a 101-96 score two nights later. Reigning NBA Finals MVP Dirk Nowitzki scored 27 points, pulled down six rebounds and dished out five assists for Dallas, which improved to 15-0 all-time versus the Bobcats and ripped off its fourth straight win at home.

"We wanted to start the game off better and we didn't do that again this game in the first half," Nowitzki said. "We didn't hit shots and the next thing you know it we are in a hole. We really need to focus on starting games off better. We did better in the second half this game and we just need to continue to be more competitive throughout the whole game."

Jason Terry added 18 points and Brendan Haywood added six before leaving with a right knee injury in the third quarter. Haywood is expected to miss at least a week with the problem.

The Mavericks are 17-7 in Big D this season. Only eight teams have scored 100 points against the Mavs in regulation during the truncated season. Dallas held teams under the century mark 54 times last year, going 41-13 when doing so.

Meanwhile, the Spurs come into tonight's contest after disposing of the Western Conference-leading Oklahoma City Thunder with a 114-105 road victory on Friday. Tony Parker scored 25 points, DeJuan Blair added 22 and 11 boards and Danny Green finished with 21 points for San Antonio, which has won three in a row and five of its last seven games.

"I think they fed off me in the first half to get out to the big start," said Blair. "In the second half they made their run, but we didn't put our heads down, we just kept going and we got the win."

Tim Duncan had 16 points and was a lion on the boards with 19, as the Spurs shot 51.7 percent for the game and outrebounded the Thunder, 49-37. The Spurs stumbled a bit in the second half after building a big lead over the first 24 minutes and look to build on their 12-9 road ledger.

Spurs guard Manu Ginobili did not play to rest a sore oblique muscle and hip, and is questionable for this evening. He is averaging 12.7 points this season. In other news, Duncan is now 18th on the NBA's all-time rebounding list with 12,368 and Charles Barkley is next at 17 (12,546). Duncan passed both Paul Silas and Dikembe Mutombo last night.

San Antonio and Dallas have split a pair of meetings this season, and the Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak in the series with a 101-100 overtime win in Dallas on Jan. 29. Dallas has taken four of the last six games at home against the Spurs. Terry is averaging a team-high 23.0 ppg in two meetings with San Antonio this season.