Final: Spurs 96, Mavs 91
Box Score | Highlights
Behind the Box Score
The Mavericks enjoyed a blistering start in the first quarter, scoring 28 points in the frame on 1.333 points per possession and 59.1 percent shooting from the field. The percentages dropped in the second quarter for Dallas, but the club was still able to get to the free throw line eight times en route to scoring a respectable 21 points.
The Spurs are one of the league’s least turnover-prone teams in the NBA, giving it away just 12.6 times per 100 possessions. But tonight Dallas forced 13 San Antonio TOs. That shouldn’t be a surprise, as the Mavs force turnovers more often than any other team in the league, at 17.7 giveaways per 100 possessions.
Notebook
Hate the result, but love the effort. The Mavericks played extremely hard in this one, shooting for the lead with half a minute left and for the tie with less than 15 seconds left. The shorthanded Mavs did everything they could to win this thing in a hostile environment despite all the injuries, but unfortunately they came up a bit short. Despite the results, the Mavericks have been playing their butts off all season, and that alone is something worth watching, let alone the strides this team’s young players are making as they gain seasoning.
Wesley Matthews continued his recent run of hot shooting, scoring 20 points on 6-of-13 shooting but, more importantly, 3-of-7 shooting from 3-point land. Matthews will admit he got off to a poor shooting start this season, especially from beyond the arc, but he’s heated up in the last week or so. This was the fifth game he’s hit at least two treys, and during that stretch he’s shot better than 40 percent from deep. The Mavericks need him to keep knocking those shots down, and in combination with other shooters on the team, it won’t take long for the Mavs to climb the league rankings in long-range shooting.
Seth Curry seems to be taking to his starting point guard role fairly well, or that was at least the case tonight. Curry scored 17 points in the first half alone and finished with 23 for the game on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and 5-of-10 from deep. Curry is a very dynamic player in that he can create for himself both from inside and outside the arc, and he can also create for his teammates. One of the most interesting, unique elements of his game is his penchant for sprinting to the corner on fast breaks, as opposed to toward the rim. That stretches the floor geometry in all sorts of weird ways for the defense, and he’s usually wide-open by himself. He burned the Spurs with a trey in that situation in the first half. There’s no telling how long he’ll retain the starting point guard role given the rash of point guard injuries plaguing the roster, but Curry put concerns to rest for the most part tonight.
The Mavs were without Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, J.J. Barea, and Devin Harris tonight, all of whom were out due to injury. Andrew Bogut also missed the game, after suffering an awkward calf injury on Saturday night against Orlando. Dallas was forced to start a franchise-record four undrafted players tonight due to the injuries, including Seth Curry, Wesley Matthews, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Salah Mejri. That’s just the third time an NBA team has done so since 2000. Two other undrafted players suited up for the Mavs, as well, in Nico Brussino and recent sensation Jonathan Gibson. Two other active Mavs — Dwight Powell and A.J. Hammons — were drafted in the second round. Only Harrison Barnes and Justin Anderson were active tonight and drafted in the first round.
What’s Next
The Mavs (2-11) play the Los Angeles Clippers (12-2) on Wednesday at the American Airlines Center at 7:30 p.m. Central.
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