Doncic, Irving Lead Mavs' Blowout Victory Over Spurs, Extend Winning Streak to 6 Games

The Mavs went from trailing by 15 points to blowing out the Spurs, with significant performances provided by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks (32-23) entered Wednesday's matchup against the San Antonio Spurs (11-44) with the NBA's longest active winning streak. Led by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, the Mavs achieved a 116-93 victory, pushing the team to a sixth consecutive victory.  

“Proud of our guys that we’re making incremental progress," Irving said. "It’s about us and everyone that’s in that locker room continuing to get that work in on off days and doing the little things to be prepared to play whatever number of minutes that coach asks you to play. I think once we matured in that sense of being able to lock into our roles, you’re seeing some highly successful basketball being played.”

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Irving led with 34 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in 33 minutes, while Doncic added 27 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists without returning to action at any point in the fourth quarter. Daniel Gafford had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds. No other player had a double-figure scoring outing. 

The Spurs received 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks from Victor Wembanyama, but the most any of his teammates scored was Malaki Branham's 13 points. Cedi Osman scored 19 points, with Devin Vassell (11 points) and Jeremy Sochan (10 points) having double-figure scoring outings. 

Dereck Lively II returned to competition as he managed a nasal fracture, requiring him to wear a mask, finishing with eight points, five rebounds, and three blocks. Maxi Kleber was ruled out as he continues to manage a right small toe dislocation. Daniel Gafford remained in the starting lineup, while Lively faced a minute's restriction off the bench. Dante Exum remained out due to right knee bursitis. 

“I thought [Dereck] Lively was great. To be able to play the 17 minutes, he gave us that boost of energy," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. Defensively, offensively, he was really, really good. So, it was good for him to get those 17 minutes under his belt before he goes up to Indiana to play in the ‘Baby All-Star Game’ and then come back and get ready for the second half [of the season].”

The momentum was entirely in the Spurs' favor early, jumping to a 15-point lead midway through the opening period. Wembanyama scored 12 points in the frame, personally outscoring the Mavs by a two-point margin before checking out of the game for the first time. There was a significant turn in the tide from then on, with Dallas outscoring San Antonio by an 88-68 margin the rest of the way. 

Doncic helped bring the Mavs back within single figures, using a personal 5-0 run to make it 30-23 with 2:44 remaining in the opening period. Dallas was down 32-25 entering the second quarter before finding a significant rhythm to close the half. 

Josh Green hit a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer late in the second quarter to give the Mavs a lead in part of a 19-3 run, with Irving's acrobatic finish through a defender capping it off. Dallas was up 56-51 at halftime after outscoring San Antonio 31-19.

While Doncic was the frequent focus of double teams by the Spurs' defense, Irving scored aggressively in the second quarter, adding 17 points after being held scoreless in the opening period. Doncic added 15 points, six assists, and five rebounds entering halftime, with Wembanyama already scoring 20 points. 

"We had to get it going, man. We had to get it going," Irving said. "We had to manufacture the energy to get the lead, at least going into halftime, we knew playing from behind against this team, we didn't want to leave it up to that. We wanted to put our foot on the gas pedal, get out and on the break, get some easy, transition points and Let everybody touch the ball, feel good about it, have a good rhythm.

"Then and most importantly, just locked down on defense. We we started trying," Irving explained. "Painted to our game plan in that second quarter a little bit more. I know [Sean] Sweeney and and JK [Jason Kidd] were happy about that, but we have to  demand that out of ourselves at the beginning of the game. But even if it doesn't happen, we still need that resilience and be able to battle back."

The Mavs opened the second half using a 7-0 run, taking a 63-51 lead, with Irving scoring or assisting on all those points. The Spurs called a timeout, trailing 63-51. Dallas's advantage was as large as 18 points midway through the third period after P.J. Washington converted on a catch-and-shoot jumper after outscoring San Antonio 20-7 and entering the Spurs' timeout with 5:43 left. 

Mavs' Dereck Lively II Returns to Face Victor Wembanyama After 7-Game Injury Absence

Along the way, Irving had figured out the Spurs' defense, including how to attack Wembanyama protecting the paint. Irving had an impressive change of pace sequence before getting into a reverse finish, providing a pivotal momentum continuing play that caught the attention of many observers. 

“For me personally, I remember the first game of the season, his entry to the league, he blocked my shot," Irving said. "He’s just a force down there, he has great timing, you can tell he just studies the game well. On the defensive end, there's not much they can’t do. For me to get the best of him on that one possession, it felt good. In the future I don't know how many more I’ll get on him just because of how much ground he covers. It was an exciting play – I'm grateful I converted it.”

Doncic continued pushing the Mavs by attacking downhill and scoring on multiple drives, putting the team up 24 points. With Dallas up 88-65 and entering the final period, San Antonio did not have time to rally back. 

Irving hit a step-back 3-pointer in the corner early in the fourth quarter, extending the Mavs' edge to 27 points. San Antonio called a timeout as a result. Dallas led by as many as 29 points before closing the game, with reserves checking into the game out of a timeout with 5:26 remaining in regulation.  

It was a struggling performance for the Spurs' offense, shooting 36.4 percent overall and 25.0 percent from beyond the arc. San Antonio was held to scoring only 33 points combined between the second and third quarters. Dallas never was held below the 25-point threshold in any period. 

The Mavs return from the All-Star break with a matchup against the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Center on February 22.