Mavs’ Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic Outclass Spurs; ‘Hall-of-Fame Players,’ Says Gregg Popovich
The rebuilding San Antonio Spurs have a bright future with Victor Wembanyama poised to torture opposing teams for the foreseeable future. For now, though, there are still growing pains, and that was on full display at American Airlines Center on Wednesday night when the Spurs got blown out by the Dallas Mavericks, 116-93.
“Well, I saw a lot of good things, but shot making wasn't one of them," Spurs Hall-of-Fame head coach Gregg Popovich said following the game. "You know today's league; you can't be 10-for-40 and have a decent chance to win a game for sure. So, it's a lot of defensive transition, that’s the first thing, but I thought we took great shots you know. You had no problem with contested shots or anything like that. That's not what they were. They were wide open. We didn't make any of them. So, that's going to put you in a hole."
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Although the Spurs ended up being on the wrong side of a blowout, they made the Mavs, who are now winners of six consecutive games, sweat in the first half by building a 15-point lead with Wembanyama leading the way. However, at the end of the day, seasoned, Hall-of-Fame talent won out.
"I thought Luka [Doncic] and Kyrie [Irving], they played like Hall of Fame players," Popovich said. "They were fantastic. We couldn't do anything with them, but I saw a lot of good things from the young guys that we can build on. Just have to keep shooting the shots. They don't go in if you don't shoot them, so it just makes it a tough night.”
In 47 games played, Luka Doncic has a stellar MVP case, as he's averaging 34.2 points, 8.8 rebounds and 9.5 assists while shooting 49.2 percent overall and 37.5 percent from deep. In 33 games played, Kyrie Irving is averaging 25.5 points, 5.2 rebounds and 5.5 assists while shooting 49.1 percent overall and 41.4 percent from deep. If both of them are healthy, the Mavs have a legitimate shot to beat any team on any given night.
The Mavs are now 3-0 against the Spurs with a chance to go for the regular-season sweep on March 19. They need to take full advantage of the Spurs being in the middle of a rebuild, because once more high-quality pieces are put around Wembanyama, paired with him gaining more experience, his potential rivalry with Doncic might not be as one-sided in the coming years.
Dallas is now 32-23 on the season and is just a half-game behind the fifth-seed in the Western Conference with a huge matchup against the Phoenix Suns coming up after All-Star Weekend. If the Mavs' superstar backcourt continues to produce at the level we've seen over the last two weeks, Dallas will be a legitimate title contender by season's end.
