Los Angeles - Through the first 12 games, the San Antonio Spurs missed their leading scorer Manu Ginobili, but the Argentine star hardly missed a beat once he returned to action.

George Hill scored 20 points and Roger Mason added 18 with five three-pointers as the visiting Spurs welcomed back Ginobili with a 94-81 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday night.

Ginobili had not played this season while recovering from off- season surgery on his left ankle. However, the energetic All-Star guard scored 12 points in just over 11 minutes in his season debut.

"Manu scored 12 points in 11 minutes. That was a great contribution," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "I was pleased he got his rhythm back so quickly. He had a good night."

In his abbreviated stint, Ginobili came off the bench to hit three of four field goals, including a three-pointer and dunk.

He made five of six free throws, grabbed four rebounds and handed out an assist, helping the Spurs (7-6) move above the 500 mark for the first time this season.

Afterward, Ginobili was pleased with his first outing since playing for his home country against the US in the Beijing Summer Olympic Games last August.

"I wasn't thinking about having a great game tonight. It was my first one, so I'm happy with what I did and what the team did," he said.

"I was a little slow but effective," he continued. "I didn't rush it a lot. I took my time finding the open seams and made a couple of shots."

Tim Duncan was happy to have his sidekick beside him again.

"It was great to have Manu back," said Duncan, who finished with 12 points and 11 boards. "He looked great for the time he was out there. I can't wait to see his minutes grow and watch him get more and more confident on the floor."

Ginobili made his long-awaited debut at the 5:34 mark of the first quarter, and 1:27 later, the left-hander fired in a three- pointer and added a dunk to help San Antonio build a
41-36 halftime edge.

After the Grizzlies pulled within 52-49, Ginobili scored six straight points in the next 1:17, sparking a 20-6 run to close the third quarter.

Hill had eight, and Mason added six, as the gap widened to 72-55. The Spurs had their lead sliced to 11, but held on for the win.

Rookie OJ Mayo scored 23 of his 26 points in the second half, while Rudy Gay had 13 with 10 rebounds for the Grizzlies (4-10), who have lost seven of eight.

Elsewhere:

Houston Rockets 107, Miami Heat 98

China's Yao Ming had 28 points with 12 rebounds, Ron Artest scored 20, and the Rockets (10-5) closed out a 3-0 road trip, despite receiving just six points from Tracy McGrady.

Rookie Mario Chalmers and Dwayne Wade topped Miami (7-7) with 23 points apiece.

Chicago Bulls 101, Utah Jazz 100

Larry Hughes picked up Derrick Rose's miss jumper and nailed the game-winning 22-footer at the buzzer, as the Bulls sent the short- handed Jazz to its first home loss of the season.

Rose had 25 points with nine assists, while Hughes finished with 16 as Chicago (7-8) improved to just 2-6 on the road.

Turkey's Mehmet Okur had 26 points for Utah (9-6), which without starters Deron Williams (ankle) and Carlos Boozer (quad) fell to 6-1 at EnergySolutions Arena.

Orlando Magic 108, Milwaukee Bucks 101

Dwight Howard collected 24 points with 13 rebounds and the Magic held off the visiting Bucks.

Orlando's Hedo Turkoglu and Rashard Lewis finished with 22 points apiece. Both hit a pair of game-sealing free throws in the waning seconds after the Bucks cut the lead to 103-100 on Richard Jefferson's basket with 24 seconds remaining.

Jefferson led Milwaukee (7-9) with 25 points, and Australian Andrew Bogut finished with 16 before leaving in the third quarter with a bruised left knee.

Charlotte Bobcats 93, Philadelphia 76ers 84

Rookie DJ Augustin had 25 points along with a career-high 11 assists, and Raymond Felton added 23 points, as the host Bobcats broke a four-game losing streak.

Elton Brand paced the Sixers (7-7) with 18 points.

Portland Trail Blazers 91, Sacramento Kings 90

Brandon Roy scored a season-high 28 points. Steve Blake made the eventual game-winning free throws with 40 seconds left, and the Trail Blazers trimmed the visiting Kings to improve to 5-0 at home.

John Salmons led Sacramento (5-11) with 20 points, but missed the potential game-winning driving layup with two seconds left.

New Orleans Hornets 99, LA Clippers 87

David West scored 27 points while Chris Paul had a triple double with 14 points 10 rebounds and 17 assists as the visiting Hornets beat the Clippers for the seventh straight time.

Rookie Eric Gordon scored 25 points and Baron Davis had 19 for the Clippers (2-12), who are off to their worst start since opening the lockout-shortened 1999 season at 0-17. (dpa)