Ginobili helps Spurs win in NBA West playoffs

Manu Ginobili played through the pain of a bloody and broken nose to score 15 points as San Antonio defeated Dallas 94-90 to take a 2-1 lead in their playoff series.

Ginobili, who was on the wrong end of an elbow from Dirk Nowitzki in the third quarter, left the game for five minutes to receive treatment from the team trainer but returned to score 11 of his 15 points in the final quarter Friday.

Tim Duncan finished with 25 points and Tony Parker added 23 off the bench for San Antonio, which also received 17 points from George Hill.

"We just stuck with it and they made a run at us," Duncan said. "Tony Parker hit some huge shots for us.

"The rivalry we have with them is huge. We always have a great series."

In the late game, Paul Millsap finished with a career high 22 points and 19 rebounds as Utah took a 2-1 series lead over Denver.

Ginobili hit seven-of-eight foul shots and also had seven assists as the Spurs won despite missing all seven of their three-point shots.

Ginobili was diagnosed after the game with a nasal fracture, and the Spurs said Ginobili would undergo a CT scan on Saturday.

"If Dirk or Jason Kidd get hurt, people like that who are ultimate competitors, they play unless they can't do it," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "That's what (Manu) did."

Duncan, who turns 34 on Sunday, scored 25 points for the second consecutive game.

Nowitzki scored 35 points, but Dallas couldn't handle Parker and Ginobili in the final quarter. The pair combined for 20 points in the final 12 minutes.

Parker hit a 20-footer to give San Antonio the lead for good with 2:34 left, then made another from the corner on the next series to push the lead to three.

Parker's game went into a lull in the third quarter but he got it back in the fourth.

"I was mad at myself in third quarter," Parker said. "They went into a zone and I wasn't being aggressive. In the fourth I told myself I was going to be aggressive like I was in the first quarter."

Dallas must now rely on their NBA-best road record during the regular season to try and get a split before the series returns to Dallas for game five.

"Anything can happen," Parker said. "We have to stay focussed because we know it will be another big game on Sunday."

Millsap rallied the Utah Jazz from a disastrous start in a 105-93 win over the Nuggets in game three of their Western Conference playoff series.