Kevin Jairaj - USA Today
Mavs Strong In Luka's Return, Beat Spurs 102-98
DALLAS - Sparked by the return of their superstar, Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks notched a key division win over the San Antonio Spurs on Thursday night, taking down Gregg Popovich's team 102-98.
The Mavs used a barrage of threes early in the fourth quarter to gain their separation, and never looked back, going on a 21-11 run to extend their lead to 15 points.
Despite a late Spurs run, in which the Mavs scored just two points in the final six minutes and 40 seconds of regulation, however, they were able to hold on and put an end to their three-game home losing streak in the process.
After missing the better part of five games with an ankle injury, Doncic looked a tad rusty in the early going of his return to the court, but would quickly regain his form, finishing the evening with a strong line of 24 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists.
Tim Hardaway Jr. supplemented Doncic with 17 points of his own, hitting 7-of-14 from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Dallas would also have four additional players finish in double figures, including 13 points each from Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith, 12 points from Delon Wright, and 11 from Dwight Powell.
DeMar DeRozan led the way for San Antonio with 21 points, while LaMarcus Aldridge added 17 points, and Rudy Gay finishing with 18 off of the bench.
The Mavericks (20-10) will be back in action this Saturday night when they head to California to take on the Warriors in the first leg of their weekend back-to-back. Dallas will wrap up the West Coast trip against the Lakers at the Staples Center on Sunday before finishing up with a visit to Oklahoma City on New Year's Eve.
