The Dallas Mavericks won their first game of the season against the San Antonio Spurs. In the Texas derby, last year’s finalist beat Victor Wembanyama and Co. 120-109. Klay Thompson made a good debut.
The sharpshooter recorded 22 points (7/13 FG) in his debut for Dallas and also made six of his ten threes. As a team, the hosts made 19 threes, 13 (of 21) of which went in after the break, when the Mavs ultimately pulled away. At half-time, the Spurs were still slightly ahead (49:47).
After that, Dallas’ offense was unstoppable, with Thompson and Luka Doncic both firing on all cylinders. Doncic ended the game with 28 points (9/25), ten rebounds and eight assists after a mediocre first half. Kyrie Irving (15, 6/17) was still looking for his rhythm, but Dereck Lively II (15, 11 rebounds, 6 assists) contributed a double-double off the bench. Maxi Kleber played 15 minutes and scored three points (1/3), grabbed four rebounds and made a strong block.
The Mavs scored 40 points in the third quarter, and a no-look pass from Doncic to P.J. Washington (11) suddenly gave them a 14-point lead. The Spurs came back to make it a three-point game, but the Mavs hit five straight threes (3x Doncic, 2x Thompson) to start the fourth quarter (3x Doncic, 2x Thompson) and produce a 15-2 run in just three minutes.
NBA: Victor Wembanyama is still looking for his form
For the Spurs, Victor Wembanyama did not have a good game. The reigning Rookie of the Year scored 17 points and nine rebounds, but also had four turnovers and only hit five of his 18 shots (1/8 from three). New signing Chris Paul (3, 1/6, 7 rebounds, 8 assists) was also not the hoped-for reinforcement, with the Spurs’ top scorers being Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie with 18 points each.
The Spurs now have five home games in a row, starting on Saturday night at the Alamo River against Houston. On the same day, the Mavs will be guests at the Phoenix Suns, who won a hard-fought overtime victory the day before at the L.A. Clippers.