Spurs do just enough to beat shorthanded Mavericks, get first win of the season

It wasn’t the prettiest of performances, but a few great defensive stretches were enough to give the Spurs their first win of the season. The production from the starters was simply impossible for a Mavericks team missing Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving to match, as San Antonio pulled away late en route to a 122-106 victory on the road.

While they had some dominant moments in the second half, the winless Spurs didn’t look as hungry as expected early on, showing both a lack of execution that wasn’t surprising from a tired team in the second game of a back-to-back, but also lacking the sense of urgency of a contender that lost a tough game the night before should show. Fortunately, they were facing a shorthanded opponent who had also played on Friday, so even during the sloppy moments, they stayed close on the scoreboard. Aside from a few good stretches from Stephon Castle and Devin Vassell, who took advantage of a zone defense by hitting midrange jumpers, there wasn’t much that stood out from a seemingly uninspired San Antonio squad in the opening frame. Despite missing their two best players, the Mavericks didn’t struggle to keep it close.

Advertisement

The lack of hustle plays, the poor decision-making that led to opponent fastbreak points, and the lazy defense that led to fouling were still there in the second quarter. The Mavs were getting help from their bench guys, especially Sergio De Larrea, while the Spurs were struggling to find a spark. An 8-2 run from the home team, punctuated by a big dunk by Daniel Gafford off an offensive rebound, allowed them to create some separation, and the concerns about the matchup turning into a trap game were starting to creep in. The timeout that followed that play changed everything. Whatever Mitch Johnson said worked, because the focus and the energy improved massively, especially from Victor Wembanyama, who didn’t look like himself earlier. San Antonio played harder and, thanks to their superior talent, went on a 25-11 run to close the half.

After the break, the Spurs seemed determined to turn the game into a blowout. The defense was creating turnovers or missed shots, and…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/spurs-just-enough-beat-shorthanded-035132630.html

Author :

Publish date : 2026-10-25 03:51:00

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.