The Mavericks traveled south and arrived with a furious effort to start the game, buckling the Spurs. San Antonio tried to recover, and eventually got scoring well, but Dallas was too strong. The Mavs, led by Luka Doncic & Kristaps Porzingis (and his 8 blocks!) cracked the code to defeat the champs: to shoot well from 3PT distance and to rebound hard with solid defense, using San Antonio's reliable weapons against them.
1st Quarter: 31-27, DA
2nd Quarter: 31-29, SA
3rd Quarter: 33-26, DA
4th Quarter: 47-44, DA
The Mavericks shot 47% from 3PT territory (18/38), with the Spurs going 48% (19-40). The Mavericks won the fast break battle and had 12 steals with 9 blocks that stifled the Spurs comeback effort. Dallas led by as much as 15, with the Spurs briefly taking a 2-PT lead only once. Evan Fournier had 25 points, as did Fred VanVleet, with KCP's 18 points & 24 rebounds by Andre Drummond still not being enough.
In the impressive 140-128 road win, Porzingis had 24 points, 12 rebounds, 4 steals & 8 blocks. Doncic had 16 assists with 23 points. Tim Hardaway, Jr., contributed 20 points.
The Spurs would have their revenge for their 34-game win streak being snapped by the Mavericks, blitzing them 147-137. Andre Drummond pulverized Dallas for 43 points & 25 rebounds with 5 blocks, going a near-perfect 17-18 from the field. Fred VanVleet had 25 points again, hitting 5 threes. Evan Fournier had 19 points, hitting five threes also. Luka Doncic had 16 assists with 29 points, but Porzingis shot just 6-14 for a night of 13 points, 12 rebounds. The Mavericks were unable to strike as hot from deep range, hitting just eleven threes to 16 by the Spurs. Dallas only led by 1 point once, with the Spurs leading by 19 at one moment.
1st Quarter: 40-35, SA
2nd Quarter: 28-25, SA
3rd Quarter: 42-39, SA
4th Quarter: 38-37, DA
A timeless Texan rivalry that just keeps getting better...