Wembanyama and Harper lead Spurs past short-handed Mavericks 122-106 for first win of the season

The San Antonio Spurs got their first win of the season on Saturday night, Oct. 24, beating the Dallas Mavericks 122-106 at American Airlines Center. Victor Wembanyama had 23 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, and Dylan Harper added 22 points as San Antonio avoided its first 0-3 start since 2008-09, according to the Associated Press.

Both teams are now 1-2. The Spurs had lost to Oklahoma City on Tuesday and to Houston in Austin on Friday.

Spurs vs. Mavericks final score

Mavericks without Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving

Dallas played without its two biggest names. Cooper Flagg, last season’s Rookie of the Year, is out with a shoulder injury he suffered in Friday night’s win at Indiana and will be reevaluated next week, the AP reported. Kyrie Irving sat out the second night of the back-to-back; he returned this season after missing 19 months with a torn ACL.

How the Spurs pulled away

San Antonio blew a 14-point lead in the third quarter, but opened the fourth on a 17-5 run over the first six minutes and outscored Dallas 30-17 in the period, the AP said. Spurs fans took over the arena in the closing minutes. NBA.com’s game summary listed 14 lead changes and seven ties.

Wembanyama started slowly, scoring one point until midway through the second quarter, before two alley-oop dunks in two minutes got him going; he had 12 points at halftime. San Antonio grabbed 15 offensive rebounds and won second-chance points 25-10.

Dallas did plenty of damage inside early, scoring 46 points in the paint in the first half, a franchise high in the play-by-play era (since 1997-98), according to the Elias Sports Bureau via the AP. The Mavericks also had a 28-15 edge in fast-break points, per NBA.com.

Spurs vs. Mavericks player stats

Dallas’ five starters combined for just 50 points, the AP noted. Attendance was 19,555, per NBA.com.

What’s next

The Spurs host Sacramento on Tuesday. The Mavericks play at Miami on Monday.

FAQ