SAN ANTONIO, TEXAS — The Dallas Mavericks defeated their divisional rival the San Antonio Spurs 122-117 to move to the second slot in the Southwest Division. Like their matchups throughout history, it didn’t disappoint.
Dallas started an early run and scored 7 unanswered points and Luka Doncic was the catalyst. Doncic got the ball into the open man’s hands and scored or assisted on all of the Mavericks points to open the first quarter. The Spurs were able to stay in the game despite the Mavericks shooting 57% from the field and knocking down 6 out of 11 of their three point attempts. Kristaps Porzingis, Jalen Brunson, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Trey Burke combined for 18 points and shot 67% from the field. Luka made magic happen finishing the first quarter with 19 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds which helped Dallas develop a 3 point lead heading into the second quarter.
The Mavericks opened the second quarter scoring on all 5 field goal attempts and increased their lead to 11 points. Dallas clamped down on defense to make it happen. Their defense created opportunities on the other end of the floor which further confirmed why they have a top ten defensive rating in the NBA. Jalen Brunson and Kristaps Porzingis continued to do damage and the tandem scored 12 of Dallas’s 19 points just halfway through the quarter maintaining their hefty lead, and Luka was on his way to another triple double performance. The Mavericks offense was clicking on all cylinders making it difficult for the Spurs to get back in the game. Dallas finished the first half with a 68-58 lead, which typically translates to wins.
Four of the Mavericks starters scored in the double digits going into the half. Luka led the pack with 21 points and assisted on 7 scores, and pulled down 6 rebounds. Tim Hardaway Jr, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jalen Brunson combined to score 32 points and shoot 55% from the field, and the Mavericks bench also outscored the Spurs bench 13-12.
In the third quarter the Mavericks offense steadied, but they were able to maintain their lead. Dallas finished the third quarter shooting 43% from the field in comparison to 48% and 52% in the first two quarters of play. Trey Burke had an explosive third quarter scoring knocking down two shots from beyond the arc, Tim Hardaway Jr also shined knocking down 3 out of his 5 shots from the floor, and KP went perfect from the field. The Mavericks applied pressure on their in-state rivals and never let up resulting in a 95-85 lead going into the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks didn’t take their foot off the gas entering the fourth quarter. While Luka rested the rest of the players on the roster stepped up and showed how capable they are early in the fourth with Tim Hardaway Jr, Trey Burke, and Kristaps Porzingis leading the way.
As we know rivalries never lack drama and the Spurs made it interesting. San Antonio went on a 13-2 run to cut the Mavericks lead to 2 points with less than a minute left in the game after Dallas previously held a 10 point lead margin. The Spurs got within 1 point of tying the game after Demar DeRozan knocked down two free throws, but the Mavericks answered on the other end by way of Luka Doncic dime that was cashed in by Jalen Brunson from three extending their lead to 118-112. Rudy Gay returned the favor on the other end knocking down the clutch three to bring the Mavericks lead to 3 then Kristaps Porzingis was fouled on back to back possessions and converted on 3 out of 4 shots from the stripe to seal the deal for the Mavericks and grab the win to conclude their road trip.
The Mavericks are officially over .500 again and are on their second winning streak of the season. Their next two games will be at home, and they could potentially see the return of the 4 players who are currently out due to Covid 19 protocol. Dallas is in a good spot and if played right, they may be able to turn the corner sooner rather than later.
