Spurs claim key win over Mavericks after Nowitzki injury

DALLAS (Reuters) - The San Antonio Spurs took advantage of an injury to Dallas's Dirk Nowitzki to beat the Mavericks 88-81 on Sunday in a key Western Conference game for both teams.

The NBA champion Spurs were on the first part of a 19-0 third-quarter run when Nowitzki departed with a leg injury with 3:18 to play in the period.

"When a player like Dirk goes down, it is a big motivation for us because they have one less go-to guy," the Spurs' Manu Ginobili told reporters after scoring a game-high 26 points.

Nowitzki, last season's NBA MVP, fell awkwardly while trying to block a shot.

"My left leg got caught underneath me," he said in a statement after being helped off the court. "I am going to get re-evaluated in the morning (Monday) and I hope to have more information then."

Mavericks owner Mark Cuban indicated to Dallas reporters Nowitzki could be out for up to two weeks.

PLAYOFF IMPLICATIONS

The win, the Spurs' third in a row, moved them into sixth place in the tight Western Conference race. They share the same record as the fifth-placed Houston Rockets and were only 1.5 games behind the conference-leading Los Angeles Lakers before the Lakers' late game on Sunday.

Dallas, in losing its third in a row, fell to seventh in the conference.