Special Fox performance overshadows stellar games from 3 more Spurs

The Spurs needed that game. Draft picks are nice, but the confidence of the team must also be managed as the season reaches its end. The Dallas Mavericks are barely able to field a team, so they have no business beating anyone. San Antonio's loss to their North Texas rival on Monday was embarrassing. There's no way around it. But a different tale was told tonight.

De'Aaron Fox narrated a special story of dominance in South Texas as he came one rebound shy of a triple-double. The former Sacramento scorer put up 32 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds, and one steal tonight. He showed leadership, taking control of the game from the beginning, and provided production from the point guard position the Spurs haven't had since Dejounte Murray.

Fox and Spurs played a great team game

San Antonio is on a tear offensively through the seven games they've played in March. They've scored over 120 points in six of those contests. Unfortunately, most of them have resulted in losses due to the porous defense they can't seem to fix without Victor Wembanyama, so they'll have to try to keep outscoring teams. They did that tonight, outscoring the Mavs 126-116.

It was Fox's best game as a member of the Silver and Black. It was nice to see, too. Swipa hasn't played up to his capabilities very often since he's been here. It's nothing to worry about. He's adjusting to several new norms after the trade, plus he's playing with a bad pinky. But it's still nice to see him break out one of those games that showcase the reason the front office brought him to town.

He wasn't the only one who showed out, though. Harrison Barnes has been having a career year, and tonight's game against his former team proved no different. The old Tar Heel went 6/7 from the field, scoring 14 much-needed points. Barnes has been the most steady force on the squad all season, and Brian Wright would be smart to make sure he stays in San Antonio for a few years.

Keldon Johnson put up 18 points on 7/9 shooting. He also went 4/4 from the free-throw line. That's significant because the Spurs shot 54% from the stripe two nights ago, and it directly led to their demise. That wasn't the case tonight. They went 15/16 as a team, compared to 13/17 from Dallas. KJ tacked on five rebounds, two assists, and a steal, bringing the energy that fans have come to love.

Jeremy Sochan was sorely missed in the last game. His defense made an impact, but he stood out on offense as well. The Polish Prince went for 18 points on 8/13 FG and 2/5 3PT. He grabbed seven boards, and four of them were on the offensive end. Those second-chance opportunities were important, helping to win San Antonio the game.

The Mavs shot a better percentage as a team (55.6%) than the Spurs did (53.2%). That goes for the difference in three-point efficiency, too. Dallas was better. However, the Silver and Black out-hustled their Luka-less rivals and won the battle for second chance points 16-4. That was the difference in the game.

Fox may have shined the brightest, but he wasn't surrounded by any slouches on this night. Everyone showed up in one way or another, giving them just a little confidence ahead of their upcoming back-to-back. They'll need it to finish out the eighth-toughest schedule in the NBA on a good note.