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In-state rivals clash when Mavericks face Spurs

Feb 24, 2009 - 11:21 AM Dallas (33-22) at San Antonio (37-17) 8:30 p.m. EST

SAN ANTONIO (Ticker) -- Their annual rodeo road trip finally a thing of the past, the San Antonio Spurs might not remember what it feels like to play in front of welcoming fans.

They will get a reminder on Tuesday when they face the Dallas Mavericks at the AT&T Center on Tuesday.

The Spurs have spent the entire month of February on the road, going 5-3 on their longest trip of the season. San Antonio appeared to be falling apart in consecutive loss at Toronto and New York, but bounced back with wins at Detroit and Washington to close the swing.

The wins were more impressive considering that sixth man Manu Ginobili missed both games with a stress reaction in his right ankle. The star guard is expected to miss two to three weeks.

But with Ginobili on the sideline, the Spurs clamped down on defense. Their 98-67 win on Saturday marked the Wizards' lowest-scoring game in six years.

The Mavericks have been pretty easy to predict of late - when they don't score over 100 points, they don't win.

They have alternated wins and loss the past five games, going over 112 points in each of the three wins and failing to manage more than 92 points in the two setbacks.