No party this year. He has something more important on his schedule: a game against San Antonio, maybe the last one for the Spurs this season.

Howard scored 28 points Saturday, half of them in the third quarter, as the Mavericks defeated the Spurs 99-90 to take a 3-1 lead in their first-round NBA playoff series.

Dallas can advance to the second round with a victory in San Antonio on Tuesday.

Howard helped negate a 43-point performance by Spurs guard Tony Parker, who received support from Tim Duncan (25 points) and little help from anybody else.

The enigmatic Howard made news during the playoffs last season when he attended a party on his birthday after losing a playoff game to New Orleans. Avery Johnson, then the Mavs' coach, was not pleased.

For Howard, the episode was another display of his odd behavior. He already had discussed his affinity for marijuana on local talk radio. Howard would later get arrested for drag racing - police clocked him going 94 mph in a 55 mph area - and do a star turn on YouTube by saying he doesn't celebrate the national anthem because he is black.

When properly focused, Howard excels in Basketball. Injuries to his left ankle and wrist kept him out of 30 games this season, but he averaged 18 points in the other 52.

As the playoffs approached, at least one Dallas journalist labeled Howard the Mavs' X factor.

Sure enough, Howard has averaged 23.3 points during the Mavs' three victories in this series. He scored seven in the one loss.

The 6-foot-5-inch Howard has taken advantage of a Spurs strategy that has successfully focused on defending Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Terry, the Mavs' top two scorers this season.

Howard converted 3 of 6 three-point attempts and 11 of 13 free throws Saturday.

quot;Josh Howard was just tremendous,quot; Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. quot;(Howard) was certainly the difference in the second half.quot;

Parker staked the Spurs to a 55-51 halftime lead with 31 points, matching the Spurs' record for half a playoff game set by George Gervin in 1978.

Howard helped Dallas overtake the Spurs in the third quarter, hitting two three-point shots and two free throws during the first four minutes.

Dallas led by 12 early in the fourth quarter, but the Spurs cut the deficit to three with a three-point basket by rookie George Hill at the 2:32 mark.

Howard made two free throws with 2:06 left after a foul by Duncan that the Spurs' forward protested.

The Spurs failed to produce another point.

quot;Our focus is obviously to limit Dirk (12 points Saturday) and Jason Terry (10 points on 3-for-17 shooting), and overall we're doing a good job of that,quot; Parker said. quot;The other guys are hurting us. They've got Josh Howard, who once again had a big game against us.quot;

Howard helped eliminate San Antonio from the 2006 playoffs in a dramatic, seven-game second-round series, and he is not a pleasant subject around the Spurs.

Given a chance to draft him out of Wake Forest in 2003 at No. 28 in the first round, the Spurs traded the pick to Phoenix. Dallas selected Howard at No. 29.

San Antonio was more interested in angling for Jason Kidd, then a free agent. Kidd opted to remain in New Jersey. He was traded to the Mavs last season. He had 17 points, seven rebounds and seven assists Saturday.

The Spurs have done all right since the 2003 draft, winning their third and fourth NBA titles in 2005 and 2007.

Howard, meanwhile, said he holds no grudges against the Spurs or the other teams that overlooked him.

quot;I thought I was gonna go higher than I did,quot; Howard said. quot;I don't understand why to this day, but it's all in the past. Look at me now.quot;

mrosner@statesman.com; 445-3958