San Antonio Spurs vs. Dallas Mavericks: Rallying on the Road

The San Antonio Spurs rallied from behind Wednesday night to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 105-101 in a primetime thriller.

San Antonio looked gassed from the first tip and had plenty of trouble keeping up with a younger, more energetic squad. The Spurs dug themselves a huge hole in the first half and found themselves down 23-4 just eight minutes into the game.

The Silver and Black couldn’t take the lid off the basket and their stars weren’t able to bail them out. LaMarcus Aldridge found himself in quick foul trouble while the Mavs stuck to DeMar DeRozan like glue.

Luka Doncic was every part of the transcendent talent he’s been hyped up to be as he took what he wanted from the helpless San Antonio defense. The Slovenian sensation drained impossible shots and created beautiful looks for his teammates.

Dunk No. 13 of the season for @luka7doncic!

Send him to the All-Star Game: https://t.co/IA4KyDZTRh pic.twitter.com/XQ4uQh0gyq

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) January 17, 2019

Dallas had themselves a three-point party and converted on their ridiculously open opportunities. It felt like the Mavericks couldn’t miss, and to be honest, the Spurs didn’t appear too interested in putting an end to the long-distance barrage.

Dallas came into tonight shooting 34.8% from three (19th in the NBA). Tonight, they’re shooting 9-of-15 from beyond the arc (60%). Teams are knocking down 35.6% of their long distance looks against SA this season, so the Mavs are really having themselves a game. #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/da8FtOegMP

— Noah Magaro-George (@N_Magaro) January 17, 2019

Winning on the road felt like a lost cause, but apparently, Patty Mills had other plans. The feisty guard laid his body on the line and came up with several huge hustle plays to keep San Antonio within arms reach.

While Mills didn’t shoot the ball particularly well from the field, his endless effort on both ends forced coach Popovich to keep him on the floor. His energy was contagious and guys finally showed some signs of life as the second quarter came to a close.

Patty steals, Patty scores pic.twitter.com/W4Qv29bnJk

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 17, 2019

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We can only assume Pop chewed out the crew in the locker room, but whatever he said to them must have worked. San Antonio came out like gangbusters in the second half and the Mavericks simply had no answer.

Though Doncic picked right up where he left off, his teammates didn’t seem to get the memo. The 19-year-old racked up 25 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists, but his efforts were ultimately fruitless.

Derrick White was uncharacteristically quiet and the referees never really gave Aldridge a chance to make an impact on the game. Still, other Spurs managed to step up to the plate.

Six players scored 12 or more points for San Antonio and no one was hotter than Marco Belinelli in the final frames. Despite being a game-time decision for Wednesday night’s matchup, the Italian marksmen showed no indication an injury was holding him back in any way.

Belinelli put on a clinic with his off-ball movement and dizzied Dallas’ defenders. Marco finished the contest with 17 points off the bench and spaced the floor to perfection with his long distance shooting.

.@marcobelinelli returned with a team-high 17 PTS in his first game back from injury! ?#GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/d8aFdZWMTd

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 17, 2019

Belli led San Antonio in scoring, but it was DeMar DeRozan and Davis Bertans who led the charge to give the Spurs a late lead. The duo accounted for 17 of San Antonio’s 30 fourth-quarter points, and Bertans nailed the go-ahead three-pointer to put the Spurs on top.

DeRozan fell short on more than a few game-winning shots in Oklahoma City a week ago, but DeMar was back in business with the game on the line. The four-time All-Star scored or assisted on 9 of the Spurs’ final 12 shots and avoided committing costly fouls or turnovers.

The spin. The pass. The finish. Wow.

? @FOXSportsSW | #GoSpursGo pic.twitter.com/E1PSUaEQWP

— San Antonio Spurs (@spurs) January 17, 2019

All in all, it was a tale of two halves and San Antonio needed every minute of play to pull out a victory. Although it wasn’t the cleanest game by any means, the Spurs have to walk away from this one feeling accomplished.

The Mavericks are no schmucks and they proved dangerous when given a chance. San Antonio’s dominance hasn’t translated well on the road, but maybe winning in front of a hostile American Airlines Center audience is just what they needed to rediscover their form.

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The Spurs will have one day to recoup before traveling to Minneapolis to take on the Timberwolves. Minnesota gave San Antonio a thorough beatdown in their last visit to the Target Center, and they’ll surely be looking to do so again.