DALLAS, Texas, 27 May 2003 — Tony Parker again fueled a rally with 11 of his 25 points in the third quarter as the San Antonio Spurs took a huge step toward the National Basketball Association finals with a 102-95 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday.

“My shot was on tonight so it was pretty good,” said Parker.

The top-seeded Spurs opened a commanding 3-1 lead in the Western Conference finals and can return to the championship round for the first time since 1999 with a win at home today.

“Defensively we turned up the intensity towards the end,” said Spurs and league MVP Tim Duncan. “We have a young team haven’t been together that many years but we are getting more experienced and you can see it on the court.

The third-seeded Mavericks lost Dirk Nowitzki, their leading scorer and rebounder, to a sprained left knee in the fourth quarter of Friday’s home loss.

To counter his absence, Dallas coach Don Nelson used a handful of lineups that featured mostly small perimeter players and few power players.

The strategy worked for the first half as Dallas pushed the tempo and opened a 52-47 lead. But as he did in game three, Parker showed that he can play some small ball, too.

The guard from France fueled a 22-6 run that closed the third quarter, turning a nine-point deficit into a 77-70 lead.

Instead of milking Duncan in the fourth quarter, the Spurs relied on a balanced attack. Duncan had 21 points, 20 rebounds, seven assists and four blocks in another stellar game, but he had some help.

Rookie Manu Ginobili scored 21 points off the bench, providing a spark in the middle two quarters. Stephen Jackson, who was benched early in the game, scored 17 points.

Steve Nash and Michael Finley scored 25 points and Nick van Exel added 22 for the Mavericks, who relied heavily on their outside shooting. Dallas fired 31 3-pointers, making 12.

But with Nowitzki and fellow big men Shawn Bradley and Evan Eschmeyer sidelined by knee injuries, the Mavs were beaten on the boards, 49-40, and appeared to run out of gas at the end of the game.

“We had to do everything we could to just stay in the game,” said Spurs coach Gregg Popovich.