3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Bounce-Back Win Over Wemby-Less Spurs

Some of the same issues popped up despite the win for the Mavericks

Nov 16, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) controls the ball as San Antonio Spurs guard Stephon Castle (5) defends during the first half at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images / Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks ended a four-game losing streak on Saturday night with a 110-93 win over the San Antonio Spurs, who were missing Victor Wembanyama and Devin Vassell. It wasn't the most inspiring win, but the Mavs needed a win any way they could get one.

With it being the first night of a back-to-back and a big game against the OKC Thunder on Sunday, it was important to get the key rotation players out early, which is exactly what happened, as no one played more than 28 minutes in this game for the Mavs. There are still plenty of things to improve upon, as old habits seem to die hard with this team.

Here are three takeaways from Saturday night's win.

READ MORE: Mavericks Snap Four-Game Losing Skid, Beat Spurs 110-93

1. More Quarters Like the 3rd, Please

The Mavericks' slow starts in the first quarters have been the theme of the season, and it was no different in this game, facing a 28-23 hole to the short-handed Spurs on Saturday. So why not more quarters like their third quarter? They held San Antonio to 5/22 shooting in the third quarter and outscored them 38-18, taking advantage of the game and allowing Jason Kidd to pull his main players early for the OKC game on Sunday. If they can have more quarters like that, they'll start to avoid some of the close losses they've been suffering.

2. Gafford Off the Bench Might Be the Move

Daniel Gafford has come off the bench in the last two games and has combined for 32 points. Dallas has had issues with bench scoring so far this season, and he's the better of the two scorers between him and Dereck Lively II, while Lively is the better and more versatile defender (when he's not dealing with fouls). This won't help to solve their slow starts, but it does help their bench.

3. This Team Needs Another Shooter

Despite controlling this game for most of the second half, the Mavs did it with their defense, not their offense. Their three-point shooting fell flat once again, shooting just 8/31 (25.8%) from deep. They've only shot better than 33.3% as a team from deep in three of their 13 games so far. Klay Thompson was supposed to help fix this, but he's clearly not enough to overcome this team's shooting woes.

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