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Parker, Spurs take 3-2 lead on Mavs

May 1, 2014 - 3:22 AM San Antonio, TX (SportsNetwork.com) - Tony Parker had 23 points on a bum ankle and Tiago Splitter scored nine of his 17 during a key fourth-quarter stretch, leading the San Antonio Spurs to a 109-103 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in Game 5 of their first-round Western Conference playoff series.

The Spurs have won two in a row to take a 3-2 lead in the best-of-seven series heading into Friday's Game 6 in Dallas.

They never trailed in their return to AT&T Center but were rarely comfortably ahead.

Vince Carter, whose buzzer-beater won Game 3 for Dallas, scored a game-high 28 points and was 7-for-9 on 3-pointers.

Carter's sixth 3-pointer got the Mavericks within four inside of three minutes remaining, but was followed by Parker's 3 at the other end. His seventh made it a six-point game in the final minute, but Dallas was never able to get closer than five.

Earlier in the fourth, Splitter scored nine of San Antonio's 11 points during one three-minute span, two on a dunk to finish off a pick-and-roll.

The other two points in the stretch, in which Splitter single-handedly kept the Spurs' lead in double digits, came after the Brazilian center pulled down an offensive rebound and hit Parker with a backdoor pass for a layup.

"They're a great passing team and we've got to pick it up defensively," said Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.

Parker and Splitter both scored nine points in the quarter and Splitter ended with 12 rebounds -- half of them on the offensive end. Manu Ginobili added 19 points off the bench, Tim Duncan scored 16 with 12 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard had 15 points.

Parker, who suffered a Grade 1 ankle sprain in Monday's Game 4, played after his fiancee gave birth early Wednesday morning to the point guard's first child, a son named Josh, according to the San Antonio Express-News.

"I basically didn't sleep the whole night and just played on adrenaline," said Parker. "I'm a happy man right now."

The Mavericks are trying to become the sixth No. 8 seed to knock off a No. 1 seed in the playoffs, but must now win two straight -- which they've already done in Games 2 and 3.

"It's going to be another war next game," said Splitter.

Carter, 37, was 10-of-16 in 27 1/2 minutes off the bench. Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and 15 rebounds for Dallas and Monta Ellis scored 21. Nowitzki got 14 of his points in the fourth quarter.

The Mavs played without big man DeJuan Blair, who was suspended one game by the NBA after kicking Splitter in the head during Game 4.

The Spurs made 10 of their first 13 shots of the game for a 13-point lead, but missed eight of their next nine as the Mavericks closed the first quarter on a 15-3 run to get within one. Devin Harris made consecutive 3-pointers to finish the flurry for Dallas.

The Mavericks tied the score three times in a brief span in the second quarter -- twice on Carter 3-pointers -- but the Spurs later closed the half with a 13-5 burst to lead 58-49 at the break.

"Every run that we made, they answered back," said Carter. "Now we'll just have to go take care of business at home."

The Spurs led by as many as 12 in the third quarter, but two Carter 3-pointers kept the Mavericks close. The Spurs were up 79-71 going into the fourth.

Game Notes

San Antonio committed a franchise playoff-low six turnovers ... The Spurs shot 46.6 percent from the floor -- including 50 percent on 3-pointers (8-for-16) -- and outscored Dallas in the paint 54-28 ... Both teams have lost as No. 1 seeds before: the Spurs in 2011 to Memphis and the Mavericks in 2007 to Golden State. The last time it happened was in 2012 when Philadelphia knocked off Chicago after Bulls star Derrick Rose tore the ACL in his left knee near the end of Game 1.