WASHINGTON — Oh, the humiliation! The player that got away, Roger Mason, comes back with the San Antonio Spurs and drops 25 points — on a night the awful Washington Wizards post their lowest points total in six years.

A season of embarrassment for president Ernie Grunfield's front office hit another low last night as the travel-weary Spurs beat the Wizards, 98-67. San Antonio wrapped up its annual rodeo road trip with a 5-3 record, while Washington was left to wonder how much better than 30 games under .500 it would be if Mason were still playing in his hometown.

"That's what we need," Wizards forward Antawn Jamison said. "We need a veteran who knows how to play the game, a guy who can play multiple positions, a guy who can knock down big shots, a guy who is defensively sound. That's a luxury we had last year, and that's a luxury we don't have this year."

Mason went 9-for-15 from the field, including 5-for-9 from 3-point range, and had 10 points and two steals in the 19-4 run that capped the third quarter and gave the Spurs a 78-57 lead. He was done for the night after that, taking a place on the bench as coach Gregg Popovich rested his starters in the blowout.

"Definitely wasn't 'just another game,' " said Mason, who was born in the nation's capital and played the last two seasons with the Wizards. "It's always exciting playing in front of family and friends. Washington Bullets, growing up here, then playing for them for two years. I'll see these guys in the summer."

Michael Finley added 19 points, and Tim Duncan had 12 points and 11 rebounds for the Spurs, who jumped to a 19-9 lead and were never seriously threatened by the worst team in the Eastern Conference.

The win capped 10,761 miles of travel over 19 days while their home court was occupied by the annual San Antonio Stock Show and Rodeo.

The Spurs also improved to 2-1 since Manu Ginobili was sidelined with a stress fracture in his right ankle injury.

HEAT 97, 76ERS 91

MIAMI — Dwyane Wade had 25 points and nine assists, including a layup to cap an 8-0 burst with a minute left, as Miami rallied past Philadelphia.

Jermaine O'Neal finished with 17 points and 10 rebounds in his second game with the Heat. Andre Miller had 30 points for Philadelphia while extending the NBA's longest current streak of games played to 502.

"I felt so much more comfortable tonight than I felt the previous night," O'Neal said. "I've been working hard and we feel like we have a chance to keep building from here."

MAVERICKS 116, KINGS 95

DALLAS — Brandon Bass scored 16 of his season-high 20 points in the second quarter and Dallas' reserves contributed 54 points in a rout of Sacramento.

Dallas, which has won 11 straight home games over Sacramento in the regular season, scored a season-high 70 points in the first half — with 36 of those coming from bench players.

"We just thought it was a good opportunity to let it ride with those guys." Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said of his bench. "They had a good rhythm. They were defending and they were scoring."

JAZZ 102, HORNETS 88

SALT LAKE CITY — Deron Williams had 20 points and 13 assists as Utah honored the memory of owner Larry H. Miller with a victory over New Orleans.

The Jazz held a pregame moment of silence before the game and the players wore patches with the initials LHM as Miller's courtside seat remained empty during a game. Miller, 64, died Friday of complications from diabetes.

"It's great to win on a night like this. We wanted to win for Larry and the whole Miller family," Williams said. "They're going through a tough time and hopefully this can ease their pain just a little bit for one night."

WARRIORS 133, THUNDER 120

OAKLAND, Calif. — Golden State coach Don Nelson earned his 1,300th victory as Stephen Jackson scored 26 points and Corey Maggette added 25 to help beat Oklahoma City.

Nelson is just the second coach in NBA history to reach the milestone, joining good friend Lenny Wilkens, who has 1,332 career wins. The Warriors' fifth victory in seven games was vintage Nellieball, with his Warriors reeling off their fourth 120-point game of the month to compensate for their indifferent defense and 17 turnovers.

Kevin Durant scored 32 points for the Thunder, who have lost five straight.

NOTES

CELTICS' GARNETT OUT 2-3 WEEKS WITH SORE KNEE

The Boston Celtics say forward Kevin Garnett will miss two to three weeks because of a strained muscle behind his knee.

Garnett returned Friday to Boston after injuring the knee on the team's West Coast trip. Celtics spokesman Jeff Twiss said yesterday that team doctor Brian McKeon diagnosed the muscle strain after tests and an MRI.

Garnett injured his knee while going up for an alley-oop late in the first half of Boston's 90-85 loss to the Utah Jazz on Thursday. He landed gingerly and immediately motioned to the bench for a substitute.