SAN ANTONIO – A couple years from now, neither the Mavericks nor anybody else in the NBA will want any part of the San Antonio Spurs.
But for this season, it was fair game against the youthful Spurs, who are rebuilding around 7-4 superstar-in-waiting Victor Wembanyama.
Not that the Mavericks didn’t get everything they wanted and more from the Spurs on Tuesday night.
The Mavericks had a tough time shaking the Spurs virtually throughout, but finally made enough plays down the stretch to pull out a 113-107 victory at Frost Bank Center, completing a 4-0 season series sweep against San Antonio.
And they did it with Luka Dončić having one of his worst shooting nights ever.
That they were able to scratch out a victory when Dončić was 6-of-27 from the field shows that they can survive a subarctic shooting night from their superstar. And even on a night when all anybody could do was talk about how he struggled shooting the ball, he still had a triple-double with 18 points, 16 assists and 10 rebounds.
It was his 18th triple-double of the season, breaking his franchise record for most in a season.
“If Luka is not on, we would most likely lose the game (in the past),” coach Jason Kidd said. “But to be able to have the depth we have, there are other guys who can step up.
“He’s human. He (Luka) still had a triple-double. That’s boring. It wasn’t pretty, but to be able to have a triple double and didn’t shoot the ball to his standards. And to be able to rebound, I thought his leadership and trust down the stretch was big. For his standards that we all hold him to, it just wasn’t his shooting night. But he found a way to lead his team to victory.”
What the Mavericks did have is Kyrie Irving, a strong defensive effort. And, a strong contribution from Dante Exum.
It was a Luka pass to Irving that produced Irving’s bucket with 2:30 to go and put the Mavericks up 104-101. After a turnover by Wembanyama, Irving nailed an 18-footer to make it a five-point game with 1:46 to go.
“Tonight was one of those tests for us where we had our foot off the gas pedal a little bit to start the game,” Irving said. “We gave them confidence. Going into the fourth quarter, it was a tough game. When you don’t handle your business early and give the other team confidence, they’re pros too.
“It was one of those ugly games, but a true testament to us staying the course, staying poised.”
It was a painful night for Luka. When he made his third shot late in the first half, after 11 misses, he punched the air in mock excitement.
“We got the win, so that’s all that matters,” Dončić said. “The shot didn’t go well, so I just tried to get somebody else going. We have a great team. That’s why we got the win today. Everybody who stepped on the court was playing hard.”
And, he added: “In the past, we probably wouldn’t have won this game. But the players we have now are a little different. It’s amazing. Kai carried us today. And Dante and Maxi were big for us down the stretch.
Irving had 28 points to lead the Mavericks and Exum had 16 off the bench, including a three-pointer with 36.1 left to make it 109-103 and two free throws with 28.5 showing to make it 111-105.
The Mavericks were plus-16 in Exum’s 28 minutes. While Kleber was on the court for 22 minutes, the Mavericks were plus-27.
“It does count as a W,” Kidd said. “Not all wins are pretty. But Exum down the stretch was huge. Trust with that group that was out there on the defensive end. On the offensive end, that group trusted one another.”
The Mavericks improved to 40-29 and kept pace with the rest of the world in the crowded Western Conference standings. The Spurs fell to 15-54.
The Mavericks did a good job against Wembanyama, who shot just 3-of-13, although he did have six blocked shots to go with 12 points and 11 rebounds. But the Mavericks’ defense never broke.
Before tipoff, Kidd was asked about Wembanyama and the chances of him winning defensive player of the year as a rookie.
It might be a long shot, but it’s certainly not out of the question.
“Yeah, why not,” Kidd said. “When you look at what he does defensively, whether its blocking shots, changing shots or (guys) not taking shots. Sometimes, that’s something unseen, a guy not taking a shot.
“But why wouldn’t he (be considered). He controls the paint. It’s pretty cool that he doesn’t have to jump a lot of times to block shots, so he gets the rebound. His skill set is like no other.”
Irving had a similar sentiment postgame.
“You got to be aware of him late challenging because he has the timing of a guard,” he said. “I thought I had a reverse layup, and he ended up blocking it on the left side. I thought he was going to be on the right side.
“Me as a competitor, I like to go in there and challenge him, because if you can finish on Wemby, you can finish on anybody in the world. And he’s going to block some. He’s going to make you change it. But he’s only going to make you better as a basketball player.”
And, most definitely, Irving agreed with Kidd that Wembanyama is a defensive player of the year candidate, if not the favorite.
“He’s exceeded all the defensive player of the year stats previous of guys that have won it,” Irving said. “He has all the tools to be named defensive player of the year. He’s for sure a candidate. I don’t know how he wouldn’t be.”
Briefly: Spurs coach Gregg Popovich doesn’t spend a lot of time watching other teams. He’s more worried about how to make his team better. But he admits that the addition of Daniel Gafford to the Mavericks has had an obvious impact. “His effort is palpable and his rolling to the rim is something that has to be dealt with,” Popovich said pregame. “Very active player in that regard. You have to decide you’re playing against somebody who is relatively relentless. Or is that an oxymoron?” . . . The Mavericks now will play just once in the next five days, meeting Utah at American Airlines Center on Thursday. Their next game after that is at Utah on Monday.