The Mavericks enter the break on a six-game winning streak.
The Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night in Dallas, winning 116-93. This is the sixth consecutive year the Mavericks have won. They will come into the All-Star break with momentum and a chance to stay healthy for the stretch run. With 27 games left in the season, the Mavericks are in a good position to move up in the final quarter of the schedule.
The Mavericks let Victor Wembaneyama do whatever he wanted and won the game completely. At one point, the Spurs led by 15 points. However, the Mavericks fought back in the second quarter, outscoring the Spurs 31-19 and entering halftime with a three-point lead. Dallas' momentum continued into the third quarter, and the Mavericks quickly put the game out of reach. The Spurs couldn't keep up with the offensive power of Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the supporting cast.
Irving led all scorers with 31 points and grabbed nine rebounds. Doncic had 27 points, nine rebounds and nine assists. Victor Wembaneyama led the Spurs with 26 points. He also had nine rebounds and three blocks.
Here are three impressions I got from the game.
Mavericks remain inconsistent
Dallas is winning games, that's the most important thing. But they consistently start games flat, come out of halftime with no energy, and then force their team back into the game during the fourth quarter. They struggled to pull away from the Washington Wizards late in Monday's game, but tonight they gave up a 15-point lead to the Spurs. The team has made some mixed lineups and trades, but it would be nice to see them play to their potential for a full four quarters at some point, especially against the worst team in the league. They can't afford to play inconsistently like this against a true championship contender.
Defense was strong
The Spurs finished the game shooting 36 percent from the floor, but fell below that at one point in the third game. San Antonio is one of the worst shooting teams in the league, ranking 27th in the NBA in field goal percentage. But tonight was even worse than the 46 percent they usually shoot at. With a consistent big man rotation and good defense on the perimeter, the Mavericks can make poor shooting teams look completely incompetent. That same thing happened again and again tonight.
The Mavericks lived in the paint.
Despite the presence of the huge Wembane Yama, the Mavericks owned the paint. They outscored the Spurs in the paint 54-42. The Mavericks penetrated almost at will, setting up easy baskets for a variety of players. At times, they outplayed the Spurs and sought second chances. It's good to see them play defense instead of settling for long jumps and competitive 3-point shooting.
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