SAN ANTONIO – It took something very special Wednesday night for the Dallas Mavericks to find their way to a 137-128
overtime win over the San Antonio Spurs.
As a matter of fact, it took something that’s never been done in Mavs’ history.
When the clock finally ran out on this Interstate-35 donnybrook, the Mavs had five players score at least 20 points. That’s the first time that’s happened in the team’s history.
Christian Wood led the scoring parade with 28 points off the bench, Dwight Powell and rookie Jaden Hardy each scored 22 points, Josh Green popped in 21 points and Reggie Bullock poured in 20 points. The scoring burst by that quintet was one that was sorely needed for a Mavs team trying to keep their head above water until they can get their injured players back on the court.
“Everybody who participated helped us when that game (Wednesday), “ coach Jason Kidd said. “We just have to continue to stay positive, keep coaching, keep putting guys in a position to be successful.”
In addition to their individual scores, Wood and Bullock grabbed 13 rebounds apiece, Powell went 8-for-8 from the field and also collected eight rebounds, Hardy had six boards, and Green finished with seven assists and two steals.
Here are the takeaways from the nine-point win over the Spurs.
WOOD A BIG FACTOR: Just when the San Antonio Spurs thought they had rattled the Mavs by forcing the game to go into overtime due to a series of late mistakes by Dallas, up stepped Christian Wood to calm his team down. After the Spurs took a 123-121 lead at the outset of overtime, Wood tallied four straight points to put the Mavs ahead for good and jumpstarted a massive 13-0 run that finally put the Spurs out of their misery.
POWELL TO THE RESCUE: At a time when the Spurs had their feet on the gas pedal and were on the verge of pulling away from the Mavs, Dwight Powell put up a major roadblock which stopped San Antonio dead in its tracks. The Spurs were ahead, 112-103, with less than five minutes remaining in regulation. Powell – who had just split a pair of free throws – then scored the Mavs’ ensuing eight points to get Dallas within 114-111 of San Antonio with 3:23 left in regulation play.
GREEN WITH ENVY: After what Josh Green did to them Wednesday night, the Spurs must have been green with envy. Green was all over the floor as he knocked down 9-of-18 shots, distributed seven assists, buried 2-of-5 three-pointers, and also picked up a couple of steals while playing a steady all-around game. All of this came while Green played a career-high 45 minutes and ended the game with a plus/minus of plus 17.
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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