The Dallas Mavericks, 12th in the Western Conference before the night, ended a series of four consecutive defeats. They won at home against the San Antonio Spurs (110-93), 11th before the NBA regular season meeting, in one of the versions of the Texas derby that the league offers (with those involving the Houston Rockets).
San Antonio KO. in the 3rd quarter
After a balanced first period (55-51 for Dallas), the “Mavs” stunned their opponent in the third quarter by delivering a violent 38-18 (93-69, 36th). San Antonio was never able to come back and thus suffered a second loss in a row, after that against the Lakers (120-115) on Friday.
The Spurs played without Victor Wembanyama, their star. The French nugget was hit in the right knee against Los Angeles and suffered a contusion. It will be reassessed day by day. His replacement, Zach Collins, was his team’s top scorer with 20 points. Sidy Cissoko, the second Frenchman from San Antonio, played six minutes, grabbing only two rebounds.
Irving back, Doncic discreet
In the ranks of the Mavericks, Kyrie Irving and Daniel Gafford each scored 22 points. Irving returned after missing a game with shoulder pain. Dallas players coming off the bench were also very productive, as they scored 54 points. Luka Doncic only scored 16 (6/16 shooting including 3/9 three-pointers), his worst mark since the start of the season.
Dallas will play again on Sunday at Oklahoma City, the leader of the Western Conference, while San Antonio will be on the floor next Tuesday, at home, in turn against Oklahoma City.
