SAN ANTONIO -- Forward Kawhi Leonard is getting more secure with the ball in his hands and the game on the line and his success in that role has been an important part of the San Antonio Spurs hot start.

Leonard poured in 26 points, including the clinching 3-pointer with 15 seconds remaining, as the Spurs outlasted the Dallas Mavericks for an 88-83 victory Wednesday.

Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki hit a jumper with 2:15 to play, cutting San Antonio's lead to 82-80. Dallas had a chance to tie the game on its next possession but guard Deron Williams badly missed a jumper.

Leonard hit a 12-foot jumper with 51 seconds to play, but Mavericks guard Devin Harris nailed a 3-pointer to cut the margin to one with 33 seconds left. Leonard then poured in a 3-pointer over stout defense by Dallas guard Wesley Matthews to help the Spurs improve to 8-0 at home.

"Our type of offense puts everybody in a good situation and tonight I got the chance to make some shots for my team to win the game," Leonard said. "I was just excited the ball went in. I'm happy with the win."

It was the 10th time this season that Leonard led the Spurs in scoring.

"Kawhi is coming into his own," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "He's feeling comfortable being the guy to take shots and we put him in those positions. He's performing wonderfully."

Forward LaMarcus Aldridge, back in the lineup after missing two games with an ankle injury, added 18 points for San Antonio (12-3). Guard Tony Parker scored 16 points.

Dallas lost its third road game in four nights. The skid immediately followed six consecutive wins.

The Mavericks (9-7) were led by Matthews' 15 points. Nowitzki added 13 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Harris scored 11 points.

It was the lowest scoring game of the year for both teams.

"Holding San Antonio to 88 points is usually enough for us to get a win," Matthews said. "We fought and we didn't give up at any time. We continued to play our brand of basketball even though out shots weren't falling. We just didn't get enough stops and enough buckets when we needed to."

The Spurs led by as many as 12 points but settled for a 24-18 advantage after the first quarter. San Antonio got eight points from Leonard, six from Aldridge, and its swarming defense kept Dallas to 36.4 percent shooting in the quarter.

San Antonio pushed its lead to 46-35 on an Aldridge put-back with 1:01 to play in the second quarter. However, the Mavericks responded with a layup by forward/center Dwight Powell and an off-the-bank jumper by Williams just before the buzzer to cut the advantage to 46-39 at halftime.

Aldridge and Parker had 12 points each at the break to pace the Spurs. Williams scored six first-half points to lead Dallas, which had 10 of its 11 players who logged minutes score at least one point.

The third quarter belonged to the Mavericks, who tied the game twice in the final 36 seconds, first on a driving layup by Harris and then with 5.9 seconds remaining on a double-pump running jumper in the lane by guard J.J. Barea.

The Spurs struck last on forward David West's 3-pointer from the top of the arc at the buzzer, granting San Antonio a 63-60 lead with a quarter to play.

"It's frustrating because we had some good looks at shots at the end that could have tied the game or given us the lead," Nowitzki said. "Kawhi made some big baskets and the shot at the end that he made over (Matthews) was a tough one. This one hurts because we made them battle and we played well. I like the fight we showed the entire game."

NOTES: Spurs F Kawhi Leonard posted his third double-double of the season Monday in San Antonio's 98-84 win against Phoenix with a team-high 24 points and 13 rebounds. ... The Spurs nabbed a season-high 18 steals and forced 28 turnovers in the victory against the Suns. ... The Spurs franchise was originally located in Dallas and called the Dallas Chaparrals. The team moved to San Antonio for the 1973-74 season. ... Spurs F Tim Duncan scored a career-high 53 points against the Mavericks on Dec. 26, 2001. ... The two teams were 2-2 against each other last season. ... Mavericks G Wesley Matthews was born in San Antonio. ... Entering Wednesday's game, Dallas F Dirk Nowitzki had scored 20 or more points in four games this season, and the Mavericks went 4-0 in those games. ... The Mavericks scored a season-high-tying 36 points in the fourth quarter of a loss at Memphis on Tuesday. ... Dallas G J.J. Barea left the game with 7:41 remaining with a right ankle injury.