DALLAS, April 4 (Ticker) -- The Dallas Mavericks still have plenty to play for, which is more than the Los Angeles Clippers can say.

Dirk Nowitzki scored 25 points to lead five players in double figures as the Mavericks maintained their lead atop the Midwest Division with a 115-90 rout of the Clippers.

Michael Finley added 20 points for Dallas (52-22), which leads San Antonio by 1 1/2 games in its quest for its first division title since 1987. The Mavericks also are chasing the Sacramento Kings for the best record in the Western Conference.

"Yeah, that's what we talked about the last two days," Nowitzki said. "The Clippers beat us the last two times and they always play well against us and that's why we wanted to get that one badly. That's why we showed up, especially in the second half."

NBA TV highlights from Clippers-Mavericks: 56k | 300k Michael Finley scored half of his 20 points in the final quarter. Glenn James NBAE/Getty Images

On Saturday, the Mavericks visit the Spurs, a game that will go a long way toward deciding the division title.

"This game is as big as that game," Mavs center Raef LaFrentz said. "We had to win this game to get to the showdown, so we really took it one game at a time. We had to win tonight in order to make Saturday night more important."

"We've been playing pretty good, but Saturday is the test," guard Nick Van Exel said. "We really want to get this win. We want to achieve something, make a statement. It's a big, big game for us."

After a slow start, Dallas grabbed a 44-43 halftime lead, took control in the third quarter behind LaFrentz and blew out Los Angeles in the final period.

It was another discouraging loss for the Clippers (37-39), whose faint playoff hopes are just about over. They have lost six of their last eight games, including a pair to the Utah Jazz. Los Angeles trails Utah by 5 1/2 games for the final playoff spot in the West.

Outspoken Michael Olowokandi scored 19 points for the Clippers, who allowed at least 110 points for the 11th time this season. After Wednesday's loss to Utah, Olowokandi accused his teammates of playing for themselves and was benched for this game for breaking an unspecified team rule.

"We were lacking on the defensive end," he said. "It crumbled from the top and it exposed everything down below. People need to know what they need to do. I'm not sure if it's ability or effort."

The Clippers bolted to a 12-2 lead in the first 3 1/2 minutes, but the Mavs closed the deficit to 27-21 after one period and grabbed a 44-43 halftime edge.

Two free throws by Nowitzki gave Dallas the lead for good at 50-49 with 9:11 left in the third period. The Clippers still were within 64-62 before the Mavs closed the quarter with a 14-6 burst. LaFrentz scored seven of his nine points in the run, giving Dallas a 78-68 lead.

"The matchup was good," LaFrentz said. "I had Olowokandi on me. We were going to try and involve him in the pick-and-roll and get some open looks that way. I was able to knock down some shots and stay in the game."

A basket by Olowokandi made it 89-79 with 7:59 to play, but the Mavs rattled off 10 straight points. A technical foul shot by Nowitzki widened the margin to 99-79 with 6:27 left.

"The second half we played much better than in the first half," Nowitzki said. "We weren't really ready in the first half. We had a couple of days off and we looked a little rusty out there. In the second half, we got ourselves together and played some good defense. We ran the ball and then we started to make some shots. When we make shots, we're really tough to match up with."

Greg Buckner scored 13 points, Van Exel added 12 and Steve Nash 11 for the Mavs, who shot 53 percent (50-of-95) from the field and held a 50-39 rebounding advantage.

"We just didn't want to have a letdown in this game tonight and then go to San Antonio," Van Exel said. "We expected to play better. We wanted to play well tonight."

Jeff McInnis scored 17 points, Corey Maggette added 16 and Elton Brand 13 and nine boards for the Clippers, who shot 43 percent (34-of-79).