Nowitzki missed the first 27 games of the season for the Mavericks because of a knee injury but came off the bench on Sunday to contribute eight points and six rebounds in just over 20 minutes on the court. [Sina.com.cn]

Danny Green scored a career-high 25 points and sparked a San Antonio 3-point barrage to lead the Spurs over Dallas 129-91 on Sunday, spoiling the NBA return of German star Dirk Nowitzki.

Frenchman Tony Parker added 18 points and Tim Duncan contributed 15 points, five rebounds, four assists and two blocks for the Spurs, who hit 20-of-30 3-point attempts, powered by Green's 7-of-8 showing from beyond the arc.

Nowitzki missed the first 27 games of the season for the Mavericks because of a knee injury but came off the bench on Sunday to contribute eight points and six rebounds in just over 20 minutes on the court.

Darren Collison had 15 points and Vince Carter 13 to lead the Mavericks, who lost their third game in a row, sliding to 12-16. San Antonio improved to 21-8, one game ahead of Memphis atop the Southwest division.

Kawhi Leonard added 17 points and five steals for the Spurs, who hit 7-of-9 3-pointers in the third period, outscoring Dallas 36-14 in the period, and stretched their lead as large as 46 points in the final minutes.

In New York, Carmelo Anthony turned it on when it mattered most, leading the Knicks to a comeback 94-91 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Elsewhere, the Los Angeles Clippers extended a franchise record with their 13th straight win, downing Phoenix.

New York trailed from the opening minutes until Anthony scored eight straight points late. He had scored just nine points on 3-of-11 shooting in the first half, but had the final 12 for the Knicks. Anthony scored 19 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter.

J.R. Smith added 19 points for the Knicks, who will travel to Los Angeles for their Christmas Day game against the Lakers. Nikola Pekovic had 21 points and 17 rebounds for the Timberwolves.

There was not a hint of unlucky 13 when it came to successive wins for the streaking Clippers, who cruised past the hosting Phoenix Suns 103-77.

Blake Griffin scored 23 points and Chris Paul had 17 points and 13 assists for Los Angeles.