**SAN ANTONIO – The Mavericks lived by one of the oldest sayings in the book on Monday night.**
**It’s not about quantity, but quality.**
With only eight bodies – seven during the final six minutes of the game – they dug deep for a 133-129 victory over the San Antonio Spurs at Frost Bank Center.
It was a riveting night of basketball in which the Mavericks showed the same sort of grit they displayed back when they had players named Irving, Washington, Lively and Gafford.
This time, it was a different cast, but they showed the same heart as they stopped a five-game losing streak and upped their record to 33-33.
The Mavericks and Spurs traded blows all night and the Mavericks were getting big play after big play down the stretch.
They led 119-116 after a Naji Marshall bucket and the Spurs proceeded to turn it over with 4:12 to go.
Kessler Edwards and Marshall made nice plays on the offensive end and the Mavericks’ lead grew to 125-118.
But the Spurs got buckets by rookie Stephon Castle and Keldon Johnson to narrow the gap.
Edwards was fouled with 45.5 seconds left and calmly knocked in two free throws for a 127-123 Mavericks’ lead. Edwards was on his way to 22 points, making him one of four Mavericks over 20 points behind Spencer Dinwiddie (28) and Klay Thompson (26) and Marshall (23).
The Spurs still had life, but Harrison Barnes, the former Maverick who was having a monster game with 29 points and eight rebounds, kicked away the ball and Marshall hit two free throws with 32.7 to go to ice it at 129-123, despite the Spurs’ best foul-and-hope strategy down the stretch.
The Mavericks weren’t too far from having every one of their players who saw action score in double figures. Six of their eight players passed 10 points. Dwight Powell had nine. Only Caleb Martin, who was on a minutes restriction wasn’t threatening double figures.
It truly was a band of seven brothers at the end with Martin having used up his maximum minutes.
And two areas where they have been having trouble, rebounding and points in the paint, were much improved in this game.
Out were Kyrie Irving (knee), Anthony Davis (adductor), Dereck Lively II (ankle), P.J. Washington (ankle), Daniel Gafford (knee), Jaden Hardy (ankle), Kai Jones (quad), O-Max Prosper (wrist) and Brandon Williams (hamstring).
Other than that, the Mavericks were fine.
The Mavericks and Spurs went back and forth all night. By the time they got to the middle of the fourth quarter, there had been 25 lead changes.
And it remained razor close the rest of the way.
X: @ESefko