San Antonio pulls within half-game of Dallas in Midwest

? Tim Duncan’s biggest contribution of the fourth quarter came when it counted most.

Duncan’s only field goal of the fourth period was an 18-foot jumper over Dirk Nowitzki with two seconds left to lift the San Antonio Spurs to an 89-87 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in a showdown of Midwest Division leaders.

The Spurs moved within a half-game of the division-leading Mavericks, and have an easier schedule down the stretch.

Dallas (52-23) has seven games remaining, five against playoff-bound teams. San Antonio (52-24) has six left, three against teams heading to the postseason.

Duncan led all scorers with 33 points, but scored just 11 points in the second half. The game-winning shot was his only field goal in the final period.

“I’ve been having some really horrible second halves lately,” he said. “That shot was huge for me.”

Nowitzki, who finished with 26 points and 21 rebounds, second-guessed his defensive tactics on the final play.

“I probably should have played him closer and made him drive,” he said.

San Antonio Coach Gregg Popovich said the win was a matter of simply hanging on as Dallas charged back from a nine-point deficit in the last three minutes.

“We were fortunate enough to have the ball last,” Popovich said.

Antonio Daniels scored 13 points for the Spurs. Danny Ferry added 11, including a pair of 3-pointers in the final period, and Bruce Bowen 10. David Robinson had nine points and 13 rebounds.

Nick Van Exel led Dallas with 27 points, including 19 in the second half, and Michael Finley added 18 points.

T’wolves 108, Suns 104

Minneapolis  Kevin Garnett had 32 points and 11 rebounds to lead Minnesota.

Chauncey Billups had 19 points and 11 assists for the Timberwolves. Wally Szczerbiak added 19 points.

Shawn Marion scored 17 of his 20 points in the second half for the Suns, who lost for the fourth time in five games.

Stephon Marbury started the game on the bench because of a sore left ankle, but finished with 23 points. Jake Voskuhl scored a career-high 20 for the Suns, whose reserves outscored their starters 61-43.

Wizards 88, Grizzlies 85

Washington  Chris Whitney made two free throws with 13.4 seconds left, and Jason Williams missed two 3-pointers  including a wide open look from the baseline at the buzzer  as Washington broke a four-game losing streak. The victory, the first for the Wizards since Michael Jordan announced he was out for the season, moved Washington within three games of Indiana and Toronto, who are tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference. Richard Hamilton and Courtney Alexander scored 15 points apiece.

Cavaliers 120, Bulls 101

Cleveland  Andre Miller had 23 points and 16 assists, leading the Cleveland to its second victory in nine games. Miller had 14 points and four assists as the Cavaliers extended their lead to 29 points in the third quarter. Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 16 points and 13 rebounds for Cleveland. Jalen Rose scored 18 of his 30 points in the third quarter as Chicago’s losing streak reached nine games. The Bulls have lost 17 of 18.

Hornets 93, Hawks 86

Atlanta  Jamal Mashburn scored 25 points and Charlotte overcame a poor shooting performance by Baron Davis to beat Atlanta. Charlotte, which has won three straight and four of five, moved within a half-game of fourth-place Orlando in the Eastern Conference standings. P.J. Brown had 14 points and 14 rebounds for the Hornets, who have won eight of their last nine against Atlanta. Shareef Abdur-Rahim led the Hawks with 21 points and 12 rebounds.

Trail Blazers 113, Warriors 86

Portland, Ore. Â Derek Anderson scored 19 points and Rasheed Wallace added 18 points and 13 rebounds to lead Portland. Shawn Kemp had 14 points and 10 rebounds in a reserve role for the Blazers, who remained one game behind fifth-place Minnesota in the Western Conference playoff race. Antawn Jamison led the Warriors with 19 points. Adonal Foyle added 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Danny Fortson had 12 points and nine rebounds.