5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THURSDAY’S 104-99 WIN OVER THE SPURS
It was a rugged beginning to a game that ended well for the Dallas Mavericks as they had enough energy in their tank to eke out a 104-99 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night.
Heroes were plentiful, and most of them – surprise, surprise, surprise – came from the Mavs’ bench. As starting point guard Luka Doncic so aptly put it when asked about the play of the bench: “They won us the game. They put us back into the game and they were amazing (Thursday).”
Here are the five takeaways from the five-point win over the Spurs.
JA-LEN BRUN-SON: That chant you hear coming from the American Airlines Center sellout crowd of 19,228 was apropos for a player who has meant so much to the Mavs during his three-plus seasons in Dallas. It has gotten to the point where the fans expect Brunson to give the Mavs an immediate lift once he gets in the game. That was definitely the case against the Spurs as the spark Brunson provided helped ignite a comeback that saw the Mavs dig themselves out of a 23-3 hole.
KLEBER WITH THE BLOCK: With Kristaps Porzingis and Boban Marjanovic both sidelined due to lower back tightness, an even more premium was placed on Maxi Kleber against the Spurs. And man, did he ever deliver! In 29 minutes off the bench, Kleber scored 12 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked a career-high tying six shots. This is just the seventh double-doble of Kleber’s career and his first since he recorded one against Chicago on March 2, 2020. He also converted half of his eight 3-pointers.
DEFENSE IS CLICKING: At times, it may not seem like the Mavs’ new attention to improving their defense isn’t working. But it is. Yes, the Spurs jumped out to a 23-3 lead with 4:51 remaining in the first quarter. But remember, the Spurs also get paid to make buckets. However, over the game’s final 40 minutes and 51 seconds, the Mavs rolled up their sleeves and held San Antonio to just 76 points. That type of defensive display should make any fan base proud.
DONCIC OVERCOMES SLOW START: Admittedly, there are defenses out there designed to slow down Luka Doncic. But at the end of the day, he’s going to figure out what you’re doing and then make that defense look silly. After a sluggish start, Doncic left his mark on Thursday’s game when the Mavs needed him the most. During a span of four minutes and 27 seconds starting at the 8:33 mark of the fourth quarter, Doncic scored 10 points and dispensed two assists to move the Mavs from an 84-84 tie to a 100-90 lead.
DEPTH WAS ON-POINT: You want to know how deep the Mavs are? Thursday was Exhibit A. With Kristaps Porzingis (lower back tightness), Boban Marjanovic (lower back tightness), Trey Burke (health and safety protocols) and Sterling Brown (left ankle sprain) all unable to play, the Mavs still were able to handle their business and walk away with a victory. Even the 14 minutes guard Frank Ntilikina played was invaluable as he scored six points and collected four rebounds. And his plus-24 was the game’s best.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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