NBA Game Summary - San Antonio at Dallas

Dallas, TX (Basketball News) - Keith Van Horn finished with 17 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 16 points and eight rebounds, as the Dallas Mavericks rolled to a 104-68 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at AmericanAirlines Center.

Marquis Daniels netted 13 points and Alan Henderson chipped in 12 for the Mavericks, who have won two straight and six of their last seven contests.

Dallas is currently fourth in the Western Conference and holds a 5 1/2 game lead over idle Sacramento. The Mavericks also pulled within four games of the Spurs for first place in the Southwest Division.

Brent Barry led San Antonio with 12 points and Tony Parker added 11. The Spurs had a two-game win streak halted and lost for just the second time in seven games. The Spurs also fell to 2 1/2 games behind the Western Conference- leading Phoenix Suns.

Dallas held a 45-34 lead at the break and blew the game open by outscoring the Spurs, 31-13, in the third quarter. The Mavs opened the second half with a 17-2 explosion to push their advantage to 62-36. Van Horn scored the final nine points in the run and his dunk ended the burst with 6:13 remaining.

The lead grew as large as 31 points in the third quarter when Henderson’s layup made it 74-43 with 1:36 remaining. Dallas would then carry a 76-47 lead into the final 12 minutes.

The fourth quarter was just a formality, as the Mavericks continued to add to their lead en route to the easy victory.

Dallas never trailed in the game, but the first quarter was close. However, Dallas closed the opening period on an 8-3 run to grab a 26-20 advantage.

The Mavericks extended their lead to 36-26 by late in the second quarter and they would hold a 45-34 cushion by halftime.

Nowitzki led all scorers with 12 points, while Parker paced the Spurs with eight. Dallas shot 52-percent in the first half compared to just 39-percent for San Antonio.