San Antonio at Dallas, Final Score: Spurs win a tense game over the Mavs with strong finish 135-123

The short-handed Mavs gave the Spurs a tough contest tonight as they kept the game close throughout, and got incredible performances from Cooper Flagg, Naji Marshall and Max Christie. Daniel Gafford dominated the paint for Dallas, it was a tense night for the Silver and Black as they barely held onto the lead for the second half. Victor Wembanyama started off the game with incredible shooting, but it was his defensive plays late in the game as the Spurs put the game away with a 12-4 surge in the last 3 minutes in the game. Harrison Barnes had a really efficient game and made key plays in the finishing run. Dylan Harper did another great job and provided key plays as the Spurs took over late. Stephon Castle had some WOW plays and his defense was key, although he didn’t have a perfect game, he did make key plays down the stretch. It was another less than perfect game, but also a solid win for the Silver and Black as they overcame another great game from the Maverick’s super rookie and got their 35th win of the season. You also have to give credit to Fox, who came through with key plays in the fourth quarter after not playing particularly well for most of the game, and Champagnie, who always comes through with needed.

Observations

• After playing an 8 man squad last night against the Thunder, the Spurs faced Mavs team that only fielded 9 players as they traded away four players at the trade deadline and didn’t have the players they traded for available tonight. [The box score on nba.com listed 11 players available, so maybe the broadcast crew was wrong.] This seemed a little more legit than the artificial situation created by the Thunder last night when half of the roster suddenly developed hangnails on the same day and couldn’t suit up against the Spurs.
• Tonight is the the 4,000th Spurs game in history.
• Victor scored the first 10 points of the game for the Spurs, but he picked up two early fouls, one on a charge, and the other on a play where Caleb Martin charged into him, but was changed into a block on a replay.
• The Spurs, took almost all of their shots in the first quarter from three point range. I’m not sure that’s a winning strategy, but they committed to it.
• Gafford was killing the Spurs smallball lineup when Victor had to sit and Coach Mitch went with Harrison Barnes at center. He took a bunch of trips to the line as the Mavs tied up the game late in the first quarter.
• Barnes made a veteran move and drew a foul and hit a pair of free throws to give the Spurs a 38-35 lead at the end of the first quarter.
• Castle was on a minutes restriction, but he brought it in the minutes he played, and stole Cooper Flagg’s cookies to stop a Mavs mini-run halfway through the second quarter.
• Victor Wembanyama’s unreal shooting touch and Castle’s pugnacious defense broke down the Mavericks resolve as the Spurs took a double digit lead late in the second quarter. Naji Marshall kept the Mavs in it with 20 first half points, and a sloppy end to the first where both teams traded turnovers had the Spurs leading 74-63 with a half to go. As always, the biggest concern going into halftime for the Spurs is always whether they can hold up in the third, when they often step off the gas and drift into a miasmic fugue state.
• Carter Bryant is growing up before our eyes, and while his offense is inconsistent, he’s already one of the best defenders on the roster.
• The Spurs’ tendency to give three point shooters wide open looks is becoming concerning. Naji Marshall was burning up the nets in the first half, and he still was able to get lots of great looks in the third quarter.
• The Spur had two travelling calls in the third quarter, which has to be some kind of record. The first one looked to me like the kind thing that happens about 30 times a game in the average NBA game and is never called. The second one was a legal hop step from Keldon Johnson that was just an incorrect call. Between that and an obvious missed goaltending call on a Harper shot, it felt like home cooking. It’s puzzling.
• The Mavericks shot light out in the third quarter and cut the Spurs lead to 3 with a quarter left to play, Spur leading 99-96, outscored 33-25 in the quarter.
• Flagg was aggressive to start the fourth, and cut the deficit to a single point early in the fourth with an open three caused by Castle gambling for a steal. Things got chaotic for a while and somehow the Spurs were able to regain the upper hand with a Fox triple to get up by 7 with 7:55 left in the game.
• Champagnie’s ability to draw fouls on three point attempts is one of the Spurs best offensive plays.
• Wembanyama re-entered the game with 5:37 left with a four point Spurs lead. The Mavs cut the lead to just a single point a minute and a half later with Gafford and Marshall taking advantage of poor Spurs defensive rotations.
• Daniel Gafford was isolated on Victor Wembanyama under the hoop with thee minutes and the Mavs within four points. Victor gave him no chance to score, swallowing up his shot. The Spurs put on a finishing 12-4 flurry in the final three minutes to put the game away and win 135-123.

The Spurs will be back in San Antonio on Saturday night for a rematch against the Mavs. After that game, the Spurs will be on the road until March 5 for the annual Rodeo Road Trip. They will play February 19 and 21 at the Moody Center in Austin, which will count as home games, but still are part of the RRT.