SAN ANTONIO (Reuters) - Tony Parker had 37 points and 12 assists as the San Antonio Spurs raced to a 93-76 victory over Texas rivals Dallas Mavericks in a Southwest Division showdown on Tuesday.

Parker, San Antonio's offensive spark in the absence of injured standouts Tim Duncan and Manu Ginobili, had 26 points in the first half to help the Spurs to a 50-44 advantage.

The hot-shooting Frenchman provided 18 of the Spurs' first 22 points, personally outscoring the Mavericks 18-11 in the opening eight minutes.

Forward Kurt Thomas, starting for Duncan, added 10 points and 15 rebounds with front-court mate Michael Finley, a former Maverick, contributing 16 points.

Josh Howard had 19 points for the fourth-placed Mavericks, who fell five and a half games behind the division-leading Spurs.

Reserve James Singleton matched 14 points with an equal number of rebounds, while Dirk Nowitzki finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds.

Duncan missed the game with a sore right knee. Ginobili is expected to miss another two weeks as he recovers from an ankle injury.

(Reporting by Gene Cherry in Raleigh, North Carolina; editing by Nick Mulvenney)