Doncic and Porzingis Lead Mavs Past Spurs 109-103
The Dallas Mavericks kept their post-All-Star Break momentum going on Wednesday night, taking down the San Antonio Spurs 109-103 at the AT&T Center.
Behind the dominant play of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis, Dallas led in convincing fashion for the majority of the contest, before giving up a brief run to the Spurs in the final quarter.
San Antonio would eventually crawl back into contention and take the lead 5:20 to go in the game before Dallas regained control of the action and closed the Spurs out for good with a late 12-0 run.
“It’s not always going to be perfect,'' said Doncic, who banged up his thumb in the game but played through it, "but we’re learning.”
Porzingis was the Mavs go-to-guy early and often, finishing the game with 28 points, 12 rebounds and three blocks, including some key free throws that helped seal the victory for Dallas late in the fourth quarter.
Not to be outdone, Luka Doncic added his 21st career triple-double with 26 points, 14 assists, and 10 rebounds on 10-of-25 shooting.
The triple-double tied Luka with Jason Kidd for the most triple-doubles in Mavs' franchise history, doing so in just 119 games. It took Jason Kidd 500 games to set the same record for Dallas.
Tim Hardaway Jr. and Dorian Finney-Smith also got in on the action for Dallas, scoring 17 and 14 points, respectively, while Maxi Kleber had nine points, five rebounds, and two blocks off of the bench.
DeMar DeRozan led the Spurs in scoring with 27 points, while Marco Bellinelli had 14 points and eight rebounds.
“We’re a young team that’s continually growing and learning about each other, about playing in tough competitive situations,” Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said. “We’re battling for playoff position and we’re fighting to prepare ourselves for the playoffs.''
The Mavericks (36-23) will take the momentum from this win and take it with them for another tough road test on Friday night, and Doncic's 21st birthday, when they take on the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena.
