Spurs 109, Mavericks 100: Patty Mills had 26 points and six assists as visiting San Antonio moved within a victory of clinching home-court advantage throughout the Western Conference playoffs.

Tim Duncan added 20 points and 15 rebounds and Kawhi Leonard also posted a double-double of 16 points and a career-high 16 rebounds for the Spurs, who can clinch their third West title in the last four years with a win Friday in Phoenix. Danny Green added 15 points, Tiago Splitter had 12 and Manu Ginobili scored 10 off the bench for San Antonio, which played without leading scorer Tony Parker for second straight game because of a back injury.

Monta Ellis scored 24 points to lead the Mavericks, who fell into a tie for eighth in the Western Conference with the Suns, one game ahead of the Memphis Grizzlies. Dirk Nowitzki contributed 19 points, Jose Calderon finished with 14 and Shawn Marion scored 12 for Dallas, which has lost nine straight to the Spurs.

The game turned in the third quarter, when Mills made three 3-pointers in a 16-7 run that put the Spurs ahead 71-60 with 5:31 left in the period. Dallas got back within five before San Antonio took an 11-point lead into the final quarter, and the advantage was promptly stretched to 16 when Ginobili hit a 3-pointer early in the fourth to provide enough of a cushion to hold off a desperate push by the Mavericks down the stretch.

San Antonio suffered a scare midway through the first quarter when Duncan appeared to hyperextend his right knee, but he returned from the locker room a few minutes later and was back in the game before the quarter ended with the Spurs on top 30-22. The Mavericks, who will play their final two regular-season games against Phoenix and Memphis, scored the first six points of the second quarter and it remained a back-and-forth game until Dallas took a 51-49 lead into the break.

GAME NOTEBOOK: Dallas F Vince Carter scored six points, moving him seven behind Adrian Dantley for 25th on the NBA's career scoring list. … Nowitzki, a 90.1 percent free-throw shooter on the season coming in, shot 3-for-5 from the stripe and is shooting 70 percent in six games this month. … San Antonio is 32-0 when Splitter scores seven or more points this season.