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DALLAS — The San Antonio Spurs and Dallas Mavericks went head-to-head on Thursday night. There were plenty of storylines heading into the season opener for both the Spurs and Mavs as Chris Paul and Klay Thompson prepared to make their debuts with their new teams. Victor Wembanyama was also ready to officially begin his second season in the NBA following a 2023-24 Rookie of the Year campaign. Yet, Dallas found a way to contain Wembanyama for the most part in their 120-109 victory.
Wembanyama struggled with his shot. Perhaps it was simply an off night for the Spurs 20-year-old star. The Mavs were able to make Wembanyama work hard for everything on the offensive end of the floor. It was a strong all-around defensive performance for Dallas, as they caused 19 San Antonio turnovers in the game.
Wembanyama ended up with 17 points on 5-18 shooting from the field and 1-8 shooting from beyond the arc.
“Just throwing different bodies at him, trying different coverages,” Mavs head coach Jason Kidd said of the team's defensive success against Wembanyama. “Try to keep him as far away from the paint, or the basket, as we can. He's long, he's talented. We just try to keep fresh bodies on him and give him different looks.
“I thought the team did a good job… He can put the ball on the floor, he can score, but just try to make it tough on him.”
Dereck Lively II steps up for Mavericks against Victor Wembanyama, Spurs
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Dereck Lively II did not start the game, but he made his presence felt. Lively scored 15 points and recorded 11 rebounds, six assists and one steal. He played a big role on defense as well, and Lively explained how the Mavs' were able to contain Wembanyama on Thursday.
“I feel like we were very connected,” Lively said. “Even at the times we weren’t talking to each other, we came back, we huddled. We knew we had to be more active, more vocal and more disciplined on the defensive end.”
The Spurs have room to improve. There is excitement with Paul joining Wembanyama on the roster, but San Antonio is not a serious contender yet. Their struggles were on full display against the reigning Western Conference champions on Thursday night.
There is respect between the Mavericks and Spurs. Both teams have consistently battled one another for years now. Gregg Popovich, one of the most legendary head coaches of all-time, has been impressed with the job Jason Kidd has done in Dallas. Of course, the Mavericks addition of Klay Thompson caught Popovich and the Spurs' attention as well.
Thompson played well in his Mavericks debut, finishing with 22 points, seven rebounds, one assist and three steals. Meanwhile, Luka Doncic led the Mavs with 28 points.
The Mavericks will look to build off the quality victory heading into Saturday's game against the Suns in Phoenix.
