San Antonio vs. Dallas, Final Score: Spurs hold on for a fourth-quarter comeback, 119-109

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The shorthanded Spurs rally past the equally battered Mavericks

The Spurs finally held onto a fourth-quarter lead as they completed a second-half comeback to kick of a four-game homestand. Despite trailing by as many as 13 points in the third period, San Antonio fought back into the contest, staving off the Mavericks for a 119-109 victory.

LaMarcus Aldridge led the Spurs with 24 points and 4 blocks, followed by 17 points from Rudy Gay, and a near triple-double from Derrick White. Luka Doncic scored a game-high 38 points for Dallas while Tim Hardaway Jr. recorded 20 points and 7 boards.

Observations

• Kristaps Porzingis had his way with the Silver and Black sans LaMarcus Aldridge in their prior meeting, but the lanky Latvian struggled to get things going with the big man back in the lineup. Although he dominated the boards and protected the paint to a tune of 12 rebounds and 2 blocks, the seven-three center finished the game with just 9 points on a pitiful 26.7% from the field.
• Luka Doncic was averaging a 30 point triple-double versus the Spurs this season coming into the night, and the Slovenian sensation continued his onslaught of the Spurs. The 2019 Rookie of the Year accumulated 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists through two quarters, though he would fall short of his 15th triple-double of the year. However, he did stuff the stat sheet with 38 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists.
• Derrick White stepped up to the challenge of replacing the injured Dejounte Murray in the starting lineup with one of his most well-rounded displays of 2019-2020. The Colorado alum tallied 14 points, 7 rebounds, 9 assists, 2 steals, and 4 blocks in a season-high 35 minutes. The third-year combo guard now leads all guards with 55 blocks this season.
• Rudy Gay caught fire in the fourth quarter notching seven straight points to open up the final period for San Antonio. With 17 points and 4 boards, the third-year Spur extended his season-high double-digit scoring streak to six games.
• Despite showing some signs of rust in his return from a six-game abscence, LaMarcus Aldridge manhandled the Dallas Mavericks. The seven-time All-Star scored 24 points to go along with several deflections, 3 steals, and a pair of blocks. LA can become the 47th player in NBA history to score 20,000 points if he can maintain an average of 21.1 points per game without missing a contest for the remainder of the season.
• Patty Mills continued his climb up the NBA’s all-time bench three-point leaderboard, passing former teammate and Spurs great Manu Ginobili for 7th place in triples off the pine. San Antonio’s perennial sixth-man dropped 12 points and 3 assists off the bench and shot a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor.
• Slow starts plagued the Spurs in recent outings as they averaged a league-worst 19.7 points first quarter over their last three outings, but they picked up the pace against Dallas. San Antonio ended the opening frame with 27 points, including a Kawhi Leonardesque three-pointer by Marco Belinelli that danced around the rim.
• Though some fans might have been disappointed to see Marco Belinelli get the nod as the first shooting guard off the bench in his return from illness, the 13-year veteran put together one of his best performances of the season. The Italian sharpshooter scored 13 points in the first half and ended the evening with 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting. Keldon Johnson and Belinelli also came together for a spectacular defense to offense sequence on this play.
• According to the TNT broadcast, the San Antonio Spurs were a perfect 12-of-12 on four-point plays heading into their matchup with the Mavericks. Bryn Forbes improved that mark to 13-of-13 after Tim Hardaway Jr. fouled him on a three-point basket midway through the third quarter.
• While DeMar DeRozan fought the rim for buckets all night long, the four-time All-Star found other ways to contribute to the Spurs victory. The second-year Spur dished out a game-high 12 assists, snagged 5 rebounds, and came away with a couple of steals. He also collected his sixth double-double of the season.

For the Mavericks fans’ perspective, visit Mavs Money Ball.

The Silver and Black return to action Friday to face the Denver Nuggets in a rematch of last year’s first-round series. Tip-off is set for 7:30 PM CT.

San Antonio vs. Dallas, Final Score: Spurs hold on for a fourth-quarter comeback, 119-109
San Antonio vs. Dallas, Final Score: Spurs hold on for a fourth-quarter comeback, 119-109