The San Antonio Spurs dismantled the Dallas Mavericks and claimed initial bragging rights in the season’s first Texas tussle. On a stage featuring two of the NBA’s brightest attractions, Victor Wembanyama was shining brightest and spoiled Cooper Flagg’s pro debut.
No De’Aaron Fox, Kelly Olynyk and Jeremy Sochan, no problem. Wembanyama made up for lost time (blood clot) by pouring in jumpers, punishing the rim and wrecking Dallas’ offensive sets. It also helped the Spurs early that the Mavericks started
the game without a natural point guard.
Dallas called the first timeout halfway through the opening frame as the Spurs led 16-13, and then the first non-Wemby minutes of the season followed with Luke Kornet checking in. The Spurs lost that sequence 11-7 and despite the close score going into the second quarter, Wembanyama was responsible for their only three shots in the lane.
Castle and Wemby’s scoring and playmaking carried them offensively. On the other side, Dallas had difficulty getting anything in the paint because San Antonio kept a mobile seven-footer in at all times. Coach Mitch Johnson trusted Wemby with a third foul, which he got by foolishly biting on Anthony Davis’ pump-fake, to finish the last few minutes of the half, and it paid off as he added six digits in that span, attacking from the middle and close range.
The Spurs went to intermission ahead 60-51. they already had the Mavericks figured out and were making them look old and slow.
The game resumed, and Wemby was still in takeover mode. The Mavericks were helpless to stop him and tried roughing him up on rebounds, but it only encouraged him to keep pounding the rock. Additionally, the Spurs were in mid-season form, while the Mavs looked like training camp had just started. The hosts couldn’t close the gap when Kornet checked in the third quarter and played the last seven minutes.
The fourth quarter was ugly for Dallas because it began with the Spurs ahead by 21, and they showed no mercy until Johnson emptied the bench with five minutes left.
The Spurs won 125-92, logging 68 points in the lane, while making 40 percent of 3-point attempts.
Game Notes
-Wembanyama’s added strength is paying off. It was obvious when he overpowered Davis and Washington. It makes him more of a killer and it helped him draw the third and fourth foul of the first half on Davis. He finished the game with 40 points on 71.4 percent shooting, adding a finesse moves to the mix as well. The previous Spurs record for most points in a regular season opener was George Gervin’s 39 in 1977-78.
-Castle has elevated his play as a two-way force, and he looked like a veteran in his role as lead guard in place of Fox. He made a 3-pointer, got to the line for nine first-half attempts and had strong finishes in transition through contact. He also racked up six assists. One of his best plays was a lob to Wembanyama in transition, too. He was the team’s second leading scorer (22) behind Wembanyama. His weakness was missing five free throws.
-It took Luke Kornet two minutes to pick up his first flagrant foul in Silver and Black. The Mavericks flashed a zone in his minutes as the lone big, but eventually Wemby came back and joined him for a quick spurt. Additionally, the Spurs were even in the non-Wemby minutes heading into the fourth quarter.
-The Spurs’ interior defense was so unforgiving that Dallas only made four shots in the restricted area on 22.2 percent shooting and they only made nine baskets in the paint non-restricted area on 39.1 percent shooting. Wembanyama and Kornet deserve most of the credit, as they accumulated five blocks, and the former was not challenged much on screen rolls either.
-Harper got in where he fit, scoring on catch-and-go moves in transition and the half court. One of the best parts about his debut is that he got on the scoreboard with eight points before Flagg, and he finished with 15, but he got to boost his numbers in garbage time.
Play of the game: Wemby demolishing Derek Lively II on a give-and-go.
