The Streak Meets a Hungry Rival
The San Antonio Spurs bring a five-game winning streak into Wednesday’s home game against the Dallas Mavericks, a team that stumbled Monday night against the NBA’s only winless opponent. The Spurs improved to 5-2 with a 119-97 rout of Utah, while Dallas fell 115-100 to the 0-6 Sacramento Kings, ending a three-game winning streak for the Mavericks, sacbee.com reported.
Dylan Harper scored 17 points to lead a balanced attack in which all five San Antonio starters reached double figures. Harper had poured in a regular-season career-high 25 points two nights earlier against Minnesota.
Wembanyama Settles for a Season Low
Victor Wembanyama managed just 12 points, tying his season low, but added 11 rebounds against Utah. Stephon Castle contributed 16 points. Keldon Johnson added 15 off the bench, Harrison Barnes 13, De’Aaron Fox 12 and Devin Vassell 11.
Castle said the team’s learning curve has accelerated. “Just being able to watch that film and have things replaying in the back of our mind from last year that we went over for a whole year,” he said. “So yeah, I think it’s definitely a process that’s been speeding up.”
Johnson struck a cautious note after the win. “Do I feel as though we’re playing to our standards? At times, yes. But do I feel like we could do better? Yes. If we felt like we’re the best version of ourselves at this point in the season, we’ll be in trouble.”
Dallas Searches for Answers After Kings Loss
The Mavericks head to San Antonio without Kyrie Irving, who is managing a left knee injury and averages 21.4 points per game, second only to Cooper Flagg’s 25.2 on the team. Flagg scored 17 points Monday but shot just 3-for-19 from the floor.
Daniel Gafford and Walter Clayton Jr. paced Dallas with 20 points apiece. Morez Johnson Jr. added 13 and P.J. Washington 12.
Dallas coach Dusty May said the loss offers lessons. “We’ll have several learning experiences from Monday’s loss,” May said. “We do have a young team, and when it’s not going well, we just keep stressing about everything that’s going poorly for us.”
Gafford acknowledged the team’s letdown. “There were times when shots didn’t fall, and I felt like we kind of let go of the rope in those situations,” he said. “We’ll focus on the next one. We’ve got a big game coming up against a good Spurs team.”
Did you know? The Spurs defeated Dallas 122-106 on Oct. 24 in the first meeting of the season. Cooper Flagg sat out that game with a strained left shoulder.
Questions Fans Are Asking About Wednesday’s Rematch
Why did the Mavericks lose to Sacramento?
Dallas shot poorly and lost 115-100 to the previously winless Kings on Monday, with Cooper Flagg going 3-for-19 from the floor and Kyrie Irving unavailable.
Who is missing for Dallas on Wednesday?
Kyrie Irving is out with left knee injury management. He averages 21.4 points per game this season, trailing only Flagg’s 25.2 ppg on the team.
What happened in the first Spurs-Mavericks game?
San Antonio won 122-106 on Oct. 24 in Dallas. Flagg did not play due to a strained left shoulder.
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