The Spurs aren't immune to the occasional egg-laying, having been whacked badly in Portland last week. But they responded with a blowout win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday in LA. ... Tim Duncan has returned to the lineup after being out for a week with a thigh problem. He's averaged 16 points and eight rebounds in his two games back. ... Manu Ginobili remains out with a lower leg injury that has sidelined him since early February. ... The Spurs are going through a stretch of playing 11 of 14 games on the road. Their record during the stretch: 8-5 with one game to go.

Scouting the Mavericks

They had won three in a row before losing at Oklahoma City on Monday. Their previous loss was at San Antonio , when the Spurs played without Manu Ginobili and Tim Duncan. "We get a lot of breaks,'' Dirk Nowitzki said. "Good teams find a way to take advantage.'' ... Rick Carlisle on the Mavericks' rally from 23 points down to get within four against the Thunder: "You get down that much, it was good to see we finally got mad.'' ... Josh Howard is fighting a sore left ankle. He missed the second half against Oklahoma City and was in the training room for treatment Tuesday.

Eddie Sefko