BOX SCORE | STANDINGS | SCHEDULE

SAN ANTONIO (AP) Andrew Bynum had 16 points and 30 rebounds, the most in an NBA game this season, and the Los Angeles Lakers didn’t need Kobe Bryant to blow out the San Antonio Spurs 98-84 Wednesday night.

Metta World Peace scored 26 points and the Lakers, playing their third straight game without the injured Bryant, manhandled the Spurs underneath to hand the West’s second-place team one of their most embarrassing losses this season.

Bryant is sitting out to heal his sore left shin. There remains no timetable on when the NBA’s leading scorer might return.

Bynum’s dominating night surpassed the previous NBA season-high of 25 rebounds, set twice by Orlando’s Dwight Howard and Milwaukee’s Ersan Ilyasova.

Danny Green led the Spurs with 22 points.

(Sports Network) – A pair of traditional Western Conference powers meet in the Alamo City on Wednesday when the San Antonio Spurs entertain the Los Angeles Lakers.

Some of the usual star power will be missing, however, as the Lakers will be without superstar Kobe Bryant for a third straight game due to a sore left shin.

The Spurs, who have already clinched their 15th consecutive postseason berth, are coming off their first loss in just over three weeks on Monday when Devin Harris netted a game-high 25 points as the Utah Jazz snapped San Antonio’s second 11-game win streak of the year with a 91-84 decision at EnergySolutions Arena.

Extending the run was of little consequence to Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, who rested his three stars, Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili, all of who are expected back in the lineup tonight against LA.

In the Big Three’s absence against the Jazz, Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter scored 14 points apiece to pace San Antonio, which also won 11 straight from Jan. 30-Feb. 20 earlier this season.

“We tried hard. We gave a great effort to win the game,” said Splitter. “In the end of the game, we couldn’t hit the shots to end the game well and they did.”

Popovich has routinely rested players in this lockout-shortened season in order to keep his charges fresh but the loss in Salt Lake City, coupled with an Oklahoma City win dropped the Spurs one game back of the Thunder for first place in the Western Conference.

The Lakers, meanwhile, survived in New Orleans without Bryant in their last encounter on Monday.

Metta World Peace drained the go-ahead three-pointer from the top of the key with 1:26 to play in that one as Los Angeles held on for a 93-91 win over the Hornets.

World Peace finished with eight points — six in the final quarter — Pau Gasol netted 25 points to go with nine rebounds, Andrew Bynum added 18 and 11 boards and Ramon Sessions finished with 17 to go with six rebounds and six assists for the Lakers, who snapped a brief two-game skid.

“It was the offense. It was the tempo,” World Peace said. “We missed some shots, okay. We had a couple of turnovers, alright. Stay with our tempo. Don’t panic. Our point guards did an excellent job. That’s why they had no fast break points. It wasn’t the defense. It was the offense.”

The Lakers are now 1 1/2 games ahead of their Staples Center co-tenants, the Clippers, for the third seed in the West as well as the Pacific Division lead.

Bryant, the NBA’s leading scorer at 28.1 points, has been wearing a walking boot to protect an inflammation surrounding a tendon.

“It’s OK that it’s taking time for him to get right,” coach Mike Brown told the Lakers’ website after practice Tuesday.

LA has won two straight over the Spurs after losing the previous three meetings in the series. The Lakers, meanwhile, are an impressive 7-1 in games played on Wednesday this season but San Antonio trumps that at a gaudy 13-1.

Devin Harris scored 25 points, including 11 straight in the fourth quarter, and the Utah Jazz halted the San Antonio Spurs’ 11-game winning streak and boosted their own playoff hopes with a 91-84 victory Monday night.

Paul Millsap added 18 points for the Jazz, who avenged a 114-104 road loss Sunday to the Spurs.

Utah (30-28) is injury riddled but the Spurs (40-15) were short-handed in a different way, choosing not to bring stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili for the rematch. Coach Gregg Popovich wanted that trio, averaging 46.8 points, to rest.

Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter scored 14 points apiece, and DeJuan Blair added 13 in San Antonio’s first loss since March 17.

The Jazz were down eight, and pulled within two before Harris scored 11 straight, including a pair of 3-pointers. Millsap’s follow dunk sealed it for the Jazz, who won despite 20 turnovers.

Utah had lost its three previous meetings this season to San Antonio by nearly a 10-point margin and went 0-3 against the Spurs last season.

But Popovich called it a “no brainer” to rest Duncan, Parker and Ginobili when he looked at San Antonio’s upcoming schedule.

The Spurs play three games in four days starting with the Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday. They have 11 games remaining in the condensed season and already have locked up a playoff spot.

Popovich wasn’t worried about securing the No. 1 overall seed but “trying to survive.”

The Jazz are trying to do the same, as they entered Monday’s game in 10th place, 1 1/2 games out of the eighth and final Western Conference playoff spot.

Both teams looked out of sorts early, with the Jazz starting 1 of 7 with a pair of turnovers and the Spurs starting 1 of 6.

Much of it could be attributed to makeshift lineups both teams put together.

With their stars at home, the Spurs started Patty Mills, Boris Diaw and Stephen Jackson. The Jazz, missing small forwards Josh Howard (knee) and C.J. Miles (calf) because of injury, started DeMarre Carroll, who was on his fourth team in three years and making only his second career start in 99 games.

While veteran Al Jefferson got things rolling for the Jazz with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting in the first quarter, Blair carried the Spurs early.

Blair, whom Popovich sat Sunday to give him a rest, led the Spurs with 11 points in the first quarter on 5-of-7 shooting.

The Jazz took a 23-19 lead into the second quarter and bumped it to 30-23 on a spin move inside by Derrick Favors.

Neal, Mills and Splitter brought San Antonio back with seven points apiece in the second quarter as the Spurs pulled within 47-44 at the break.

The Spurs looked in control in the fourth, when they surged ahead 75-67 on a free throw by Splitter.

But Jamaal Tinsley hit a jumper, then Harris took over. He finished 7 of 17, but 3 of 7 from beyond the arc, and made 8 of 12 free throws.

Gordon Hayward added 16 points, and Jefferson had 12 points and 10 rebounds.

Notes: Hall of Famer John Stockton was in attendance and received a standing ovation from the crowd when he was announced and shown on the big screen. … Utah signed NBA D-League sharp-shooter Blake Ahearn to a 10-day contract Monday. … The Jazz announced backup point guard Earl Watson would have surgery to repair torn cartilage in his right knee. He is out indefinitely. … Miles won’t travel with the team on its three-game road trip because of a strained left calf. … Jazz F Jeremy Evans sprained his right ankle in the third quarter and did not return.

Devin Harris’ game-high 25 points led the Jazz to a 91-84 victory against the Spurs on Monday at Energy Solutions Arena.

Gary Neal and Tiago Splitter topped San Antonio with 14 points apiece.

The Jazz improved to 30-28. The Spurs (41-14) saw an 11-game wining streak snapped.

San Antonio rested stars Tim Duncan, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili on Monday. The trio didn’t travel with the team.

The Spurs knocked off the Jazz 114-104 Sunday.

QUARTER-BY-QUARTER ANALYSIS

The First: Jazz 23, Spurs 19

The Jazz start slow, hitting just 1 of their initial 6 shots. Paul Millsap gets Utah going, though, and the Jazz take a 12-10 lead on a Jeremy Evans tip-in. San Antonio isn’t the same without the Big Three.

The Second: Jazz 47, Spurs 44

A three-point play by Enes Kanter pushes Utah to a 26-19 lead. But Gary Neal guides San Antonio on a 10-4 run, and the Spurs finally start to click. Gordon Hayward steps up late in the half.

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The Third: Spurs 68, Jazz 64

Devin Harris picks up his game and Utah stretches its advantage to 55-50. But Danny Green, Kawhi Leonard and Patty Mills start making Gregg Popovich look like a genius.

The Fourth: Jazz 91, Spurs 84

A pull-up 3-pointer by Matt Bonner gives San Antonio a seven-point lead, and it’s 75-67 Spurs with 8:15. An 8-0 Harris-led Utah run follows, and Millsap closes down the game.

Spurs-Jazz box score

Western Conference standings

Twitter: @tribjazz

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

San Antonio • The Jazz will return home hobbled. More beaten up than they’ve been at any point this season. Possibly down to 10 active players, two of which are rookies, four of which are 22 or younger. Needing every ounce of strength and willpower that’s kept them fighting thus far.

Utah lost two key athletes Sunday during a 114-104 defeat to the Spurs, and the Jazz’s playoff hopes took another hit.

Starting shooting guard C.J. Miles (strained left calf) and backup point guard Earl Watson (sore right knee) left the game during the second quarter and didn’t return. Miles wore a protective boot afterward, Watson was on crutches, and both will undergo magnetic-resonance imaging exams Monday.

“I can’t even walk,” said Watson, who initially was placed in a wheelchair.

Meanwhile, a Jazz (29-28) team that’s dropped six of nine fell back into 10th place in the Western Conference. Utah’s a half-game behind ninth-place Phoenix – who holds a tiebreaker – and 1.5 games behind eighth-place Denver with just nine contests left in the 2011-12 season.

With starters Josh Howard and Raja Bell already out of action, the Jazz exited the AT&T Center knowing their options are increasingly becoming limited.

Utah’s proved multiple times this season it shouldn’t be counted out, and the Jazz’s depth has been one of its biggest strengths. But due to the oddity of the lockout-compressed schedule, Utah will host a deeper, more rested San Antonio (40-14) squad Monday at EnergySolutions Arena.

The Spurs have won 11 consecutive contests, they destroyed the Jazz during the first half Sunday – shooting 60.6 percent from the field and holding a 57-38 lead with 28.9 seconds to go – and San Antonio didn’t play starting center DeJuan Blair or reserve guard Stephen Jackson during round one.

Drawing even against the Spurs on back-to-back nights was a challenge before Utah tipped off Monday. Doing it with possibly just 10 active players only increases the stakes.

“We just have to pick it up. … We’re just going to have to go with what we have,” Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin said. “Our guys have been tremendous responding all year and we expect that to continue.”

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Sunday, Utah had to dig to the bottom of its well just to claw back from a 19-point deficit.

Little-used reserve small forward DeMarre Carroll showed why Utah General Manager Kevin O’Connor signed him in early February. After not playing during the first half, an energized Carroll leapt off the bench to pour in a career-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting – including 3 of 4 behind the 3-point line – helping the Jazz pull within 108-100 with 2 minutes and 14 seconds to go.

But speedy Spurs point guard Tony Parker was simply too much. He continually destroyed Utah in the pick-and-roll, burned Utah starting point guard Devin Harris with body fakes during crucial moments, and finished with a game-high 28 points – including 10 of 10 from the foul line – as San Antonio closed the contest like the best team record-wise in the West should.

“Tony kind of decided he wasn’t going to let them come back and he did what he did,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “That’s pretty awesome there.”

Add in 14-of-15 shooting from the line by Manu Ginobili, San Antonio’s 50.7 percent shooting from the field and 45-39 edge on the boards, and everyone from Tim Duncan (game-high 16 rebounds) to Danny Green and Tiago Splitter leaving a mark, and Utah’s ego and bodies were bruised after the battle.

“It’s hard. Playing against a team like that, a veteran team, you’ve got to give yourself a chance to win once the tip start,” Jazz reserve point guard Jamaal Tinsley said. “You can’t play in spurts with a good team like that. … We’ve just got to give ourselves a chance by playing the whole 48 minutes and down the stretch.”

Minutes after Miles and Watson hobbled away, Jazz center Al Jefferson quietly sat in front of his locker. After spending nearly two minutes discussing everything from his team’s slow start – Utah allowed 30-plus points in the first quarter for the fifth time in six games – to his belief the resilient Jazz will rally Monday in front of their home crowd, Jefferson gave a cool two-word answer when asked if San Antonio’s one of the best and deepest teams Utah’s played this season.

“Um, yeah,” he said.

Copyright 2012 The Salt Lake Tribune. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Despite the absences of some of their best players, the San Antonio Spurs didn’t miss a beat during their first back-to-back-to-back stretch of the season.

A difficult back-to-back road set, however, lies immediately ahead.

Playing for the fourth time in five days, the Southwest Division-leading Spurs try to extend their winning streak to five Tuesday night against the red-hot Phoenix Suns.

One night after Tony Parker missed Friday’s 104-87 win over Dallas due to injury, Manu Ginobili rested during an 89-86 win at New Orleans. San Antonio then played without a resting Tim Duncan as it concluded its grueling stretch with a 93-76 rout of Philadelphia on Sunday.

The Spurs (33-14) were also without Gary Neal for the last two games and Tiago Splitter for the last three. While Neal and Splitter are uncertain for Tuesday, Parker, Ginobili and Duncan should be available.

“They show a lot of toughness, a lot of character to do that three nights in a row with different combinations and different players playing on each night,” coach Gregg Popovich said of his team. “What’s really great is that they appreciate or are happy with the success of their teammates.

“Whoever’s not playing isn’t hoping something bad happens so he can get in the game or anything like. They really pull for each other.”

Things aren’t about to get any easier for San Antonio, which has won seven of eight – including four in a row by an average of 13.2 points. The Spurs have dropped three of four at US Airways Center and on Wednesday, visit a Sacramento team that defeated them at the AT&T Center on Jan. 20.

“We will play two tough teams,” said DeJuan Blair, who’s scored a combined 42 points in the last two games. “We just need to go out there and play Spurs basketball. We need to go out there and play tough.”

While the Spurs have struggled a bit at Phoenix of late, they’ve taken four off five in the series overall, winning the most recent meeting 102-91 on Jan. 15.

The Suns (25-24), however, have posted the league’s second-best record since the All-Star break at 11-4 and just closed out a four-game road trip with two straight wins. Phoenix beat Indiana 113-111 on Friday and blew out Cleveland 108-83 two days later.

“We owed it to ourselves to have a better performance,” said point guard Steve Nash, who had 13 assists Sunday – four fewer than the Cavaliers. ” … We’ve clawed back into the playoff picture and we had to try and get one here.”

Despite his lack of scoring, the 10th-place Suns continue to rely on Nash to lead the way. The eight-time All-Star, tops in the league with 11.2 assists per contest, is averaging 13.0 points – his lowest mark since scoring 8.6 per game in 1999-2000 with Dallas.

“I think the goal is for our team to be able to read and react to how people play,” said Nash, who scored four points Sunday. “Some nights if they’re making me a scorer, I have to be aggressive and score. Other nights when they’re trying to get the ball out of my hands, we have to make them pay other ways.”

Averaging 96.9 points on the season, Phoenix has scored 103.1 per game in going 10-2 in its last 12 at home. The two losses during that stretch have come by a combined five points.

SAN ANTONIO (AP) For the third time in three nights, the San Antonio Spurs proved they know how to win short-handed.

Tony Parker scored 21 points and the Spurs, playing without Tim Duncan, beat the Philadelphia 76ers 93-76 on Sunday night.

DeJuan Blair added 19 points for the Spurs, who won for the seventh time in eight games and swept the season series with the 76ers. Manu Ginobili and Kawhi Leonard had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

With the Spurs playing the last of back-to-back-to-back games, coach Gregg Popovich gave the 35-year-old Duncan his second day off this season. It was the third straight night San Antion played without one of its stars as Parker sat out with a hamstring injury Friday at home against the Mavericks and Ginobili missed the win at New Orleans on Saturday with a hip injury.

”They show a lot of toughness, a lot of character to do that three nights in a row with different combinations and different players playing on each night,” Popovich said. ”What’s really great is that they appreciate or are happy with the success of their teammates. Whoever’s not playing isn’t hoping something bad happens so he can get in the game or anything like. They really pull for each other.”

San Antonio improved to 24-1 at home against the 76ers since the start of the 1986-87 season, winning the last eight. The 76ers’ last win in San Antonio was in 2004.

Elton Brand led the 76ers with 12 points. Jodie Meeks, starting for Iguodala, added 11 points. Evan Turner and Jrue Holiday each added 10 as Philadelphia lost for the second time in its last four games. The Sixers were also missing one of their starters – forward Andre Iguodala, who missed the game because of left patella tendinitis.

Philadelphia trailed by three points at halftime, but San Antonio’s defense helped force 14 second-half turnovers.

”They did speed us up,” 76ers coach Doug Collins said. ”I’ll give their defense credit. They stripped us around the basket, must have been six or seven times. And once it started going south, we couldn’t get it stopped.”

It was the first game Iguodala missed this season. Collins said the team first found out about the injury earlier in the day and decided to hold him out as a precaution. He’s expected to return for Tuesday’s game against the Cavaliers.

”He does so much for us offensively and defensively,” Brand said. ”He gets easy shots for everybody. His defensive presence out there … hopefully everything goes well for his knee.”

Before the game, Popovich had said that Boris Diaw, playing in only his third game for the Spurs, would start for Duncan. But Diaw came off the bench and Matt Bonner drew the start. Bonner, starting for Duncan, finished with 10 points, and Danny Green also had 10 to help the Spurs improve to 20-4 at home.

San Antonio outscored Philadelphia 41-27 in the second half and held the 76ers to 12-of-38 shooting. It was the second-fewest points the 76ers have scored in a half this season – they scored 24 in the second half in a loss to Dallas on Feb. 17.

The Spurs scored 19 points off the 76ers’ 14 second-half turnovers to cruise to victory.

”We went in at halftime and discussed our rotations and shifts,” Leonard said. ”We bought into the coach’s game plan and went into the second half ready to play.”

NOTES: The Spurs’ statisticians at the AT&T Center poked some fun at Duncan, listing his line in the official box score with a ”DND – OLD.” … Duncan, sitting with the Spurs’ bench, was called for a technical foul with 2:35 remaining. Joey Crawford had warned the teams earlier about arguing calls, and Josh Tiven issued the technical. Crawford ejected Duncan from a 2007 game for laughing, and the referee later was suspended. Duncan was on the bench at the time he was ejected. … Spurs G Gary Neal (left mid-foot sprain) and F Tiago Splitter (mid-back spasms) didn’t play. It was the second straight game that Neal has missed and third for Splitter.

DALLAS (AP) No matter who or how many San Antonio Spurs were on Dirk Nowitzki, or how much they pushed, prodded or swatted at the 7-foot All-Star, he kept making big plays for the Dallas Mavericks.

”He probably doesn’t get enough credit for being the competitor that he is, and for being so tough-minded,” teammate Lamar Odom said of Nowitzki. ”There’s nothing soft about Dirk. He’s tough.”

Nowitzki scored 27 points, fought for loose balls and screamed out in exhilaration several times as the defending NBA champion Mavericks won 106-99 over the Southwest Division-leading Spurs on Saturday night for their third consecutive victory.

After winning at home against Washington and Charlotte, the NBA’s two worst teams, beating San Antonio was much more impressive, even if the Spurs were playing the second consecutive night. Dallas never trailed and the only tie was at 2-all.

”It was a playoff battle. Anytime we see the Spurs it’s a fun game, great atmosphere, both teams really trying to get the win. As expected, it was a physical game,” Nowitzki said. ”They went small some, tried to mix it up. At the end they were double-teaming some. I thought as a team, we always made the right play, find the open guy. That was definitely big.”

With the shot clock running down late in the third quarter, Nowitzki got the ball with Manu Ginobili right on top of him. The Mavericks’ perennial All-Star made a 20-foot jumper for a 10-point lead and let out a scream, as much excitement for making the shot as letting officials know he thought he was also fouled.

San Antonio cut that deficit in half on a 3-pointer by Ginobili nearly 3 minutes into the fourth quarter, but got no closer. Dallas responded by scoring eight in a row.

Nowitzki defensively harassed Tiago Splitter into a miss, then made a pass to Brandan Wright for a two-handed slam. After Jason Kidd added a 3-pointer, Nowitzki added a 3 from the left wing and then stared toward the Spurs bench with the lead stretched back to 90-77.

”Dallas was the sharper team. … We were a half-step behind from the start of the night defensively and they took advantage,” Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. ”Dirk gets a lot of points no matter who’s guarding him. He’s an MVP and Hall of Fame player.”

Jason Terry added 17 points and Rodrigue Beaubois 16 for the Mavs, whose winning streak comes after a miserable 2-7 stretch over 12 days. Kidd had 14 points with four 3-pointers and 10 assists for his first double-double

Tim Duncan and Danny Green each had 17 points for the Spurs, who were coming off a 114-105 victory at Oklahoma City on Friday night. Tony Parker had 13 points and 11 assists.

”I missed easy shots and was a little tired from a big game (Friday) night with playoff intensity,” Parker said.

This was another intense game.

Ginobili and Nowitzki got tangled up several times during the game.

With 3 1/2 minutes left in the first half, Nowitzki came away with a loose ball as Ginobili tried to strip it out of his hands. Nowitzki held on and screamed out after twisting his body away while the whistle blew for a foul. Nowitzki made both free throws, part of the stretch when he scored the last 12 points of the first half for Dallas.

There were also a few physical moments between Nowitzki and Stephen Jackson, who played his first game with the Spurs since being acquired from Golden State in a deadline trade Thursday.

Jackson wound up on the floor after getting tied up with Nowitzki late in the first half, and it was Jackson who got called for the foul.

Beaubouis started at shooting guard with Vince Carter shifting over to small forward to replace Shawn Marion, who missed the game with a sore left knee. Beaubouis scored the first two Dallas baskets, an alley-oop dunk from Kidd on the opening shot, then an 11-foot jumper that put Dallas ahead to stay after Green’s dunk made it 2-2.

”He’s stepped up this entire homestand,” Terry said. ‘He kind of controlled Tony Parker. He was pretty darned good.”

Notes: San Antonio had scored at least 112 points in five consecutive games, winning four of them. … The Mavericks finish March with five of seven games on the road. That includes Friday at San Antonio, their last regular-season meeting against the Spurs. … Kidd, whose 1,302 regular season games played is the most among active players, matches Elvin Hayes for 11th on the all-time list in his next game. … Jackson had five points while playing 16 minutes in his first game back with the Spurs, whom he also played with from 2001-03.

OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) – Tony Parker scored 25 points and Tim Duncan added 16 points and a season-high 19 rebounds, and the San Antonio Spurs beat Oklahoma City 114-105 on Friday night to inch closer to the first-place Thunder in the Western Conference standings.

San Antonio rolled to a 27-point lead in the first half and was up by 20 late in the third quarter before Oklahoma City rallied within two down the stretch.

Duncan muscled past Serge Ibaka at the left block to answer Kevin Durant’s 3-pointer that pulled the Thunder to 107-105, and Danny Green stole a careless inbound pass by James Harden for a dunk that put the game away.

Russell Westbrook finished with 36 points and Durant scored 25 for Oklahoma City.

DeJuan Blair chipped in 22 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who are three games back in the West.

Before the game, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich downplayed the importance of battling for the top seed in the conference. San Antonio rested Manu Ginobili, who has struggled with a left oblique injury in recent weeks, and played without Stephen Jackson, who has yet to join the team after being acquired in a deal for Richard Jefferson at the trade deadline.

“I think I’ve learned over the years it’s more about what kind of a rhythm you have going into playoffs, how much the team trusts and believes in itself and health,” Popovich said. “Those things have a lot more to do with it than where you’re seeded.”

The Thunder went all in for the victory, bypassing the usual rest periods for Durant and Westbrook bridging the break between the third and fourth quarters – and it nearly paid off.

Westbrook scored 10 points during Oklahoma City’s 20-2 comeback, and the All-Stars took turns setting up 3-pointers from Harden and Royal Ivey during the run. Durant’s jumper from the left elbow with 9:36 remaining pulled the Thunder to 92-90.

Green hit a jumper and a 3-pointer on consecutive possessions to give San Antonio a little bit of its cushion back, and the Spurs were able to hold on from there.

Ivey and Durant each missed 3-point attempts that would have tied it at 101 with a little under 5 minutes left, and the Thunder never again had the ball with the chance to tie or go ahead.

Green sealed it when Harden tried to bounce the ball to Westbrook near midcourt on an attempted sideline inbound play with 59.9 seconds left, running out for a right-handed dunk that made it 111-105.

Green finished with 21 points for San Antonio, which held a 49-37 edge on the boards and outscored Oklahoma City 24-9 on second-chance opportunities and 54-36 in the paint.

Duncan’s rebound total pushed him past Paul Silas and Dikembe Mutombo into 18th place on the NBA’s all-time list.

The Spurs won the season series 2-1 and would have a tiebreaker if they were able to catch Oklahoma City at the end of the season.

Harden added 19 points and Ibaka had 12 points, 12 rebounds and six blocks for the Thunder. Oklahoma City has lost three of four at home – with the only win coming against NBA-worst Charlotte – after winning 14 in a row at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Each team had its own offensive struggles at the start, and it was the Spurs who shook out of it first.

San Antonio committed five early turnovers, including two shot clock violations in its first four possessions, but at least could get shots to go down. Kawhi Leonard and Gary Neal had bookend 3-pointers on a 12-2 run that provided the Spurs a 30-16 lead before Harden’s buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the first quarter.

Even that couldn’t shake the Thunder out of a poor shooting night that started with nine misses in their first 10 shots.

Parker hit a jumper from the left wing and drove for a three-point play during a 12-0 run that doubled San Antonio’s lead midway through the second quarter, and the advantage hit its largest point at 63-36 after Blair’s bucket in the lane with 3:36 left before halftime.

Previously, no opponent had led by more than 16 at the Chesapeake Energy Arena this season.

The Thunder rallied back, scoring 12 of the final 14 points of the first half to pull to 65-48, and they wiggled back to within 13 early in the second half before San Antonio pushed its lead back to 86-66.

Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.