The [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/) fell to the San Antonio Spurs by a score of 126-116 Wednesday night in San Antonio. Brandon Williams led the way for Dallas with 19 points, while De’Aaron Fox paced San Antonio with a game-high 32. The Mavericks were unable to complete the sweep of the two-game “baseball series” in San Antonio and had to settle for the 1-1 split.
The two teams went back and forth for much of the first quarter, with neither side able to gain much separation. Naji Marshall continued his hot stretch by chipping in nine points in the frame, while Brandon Williams and Dwight Powell gave the Mavericks a spark off the bench. At the end of the period, Dallas finally pulled away, finishing things with a 19-4 run and taking a 28-20 lead into the second.
Dallas continued to cook early in the second, with Kessler Edwards hitting a three to extend the lead to double digits. But Fox and the pesky Spurs chipped away, slowly but surely cutting into the Maverick advantage and eventually pulling in front. Strong play from Williams and Edwards wasn’t enough to stem the tide, and San Antonio was able to finish the period strong and take a 64-62 lead into the locker room at half.
The Spurs picked up where they left off in the third, slowly extending their lead throughout the frame. Dallas played hard and did their best to keep up, but they didn’t quite have the juice to match the production of Fox and Devin Vassell. The San Antonio lead grew to as many as 12 points, but a Caleb Martin put-back layup trimmed that margin to 10 at the end of the quarter at 97-87.
The Mavericks opened the fourth with a Dante Exum corner three, trimming the deficit to seven and inspiring hope. San Antonio and Dallas traded mini-runs after that, and the Spurs' advantage hovered around 10 points for much of the period. Ultimately, the Mavericks were never able to mount an extended rally, and San Antonio ended up cruising to a win. Here are three observations from this one.
Brandon Williams is an NBA basketball player
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Watching the Mavericks has been a bit of a chore lately. With everything surrounding the team, it’s been difficult to lock in and find things to feel good about. But the recent play of two-way guard Brandon Williams has been a nice story. Tonight, he chipped in a team-high 19 points and six assists off the bench, and I’m really impressed with how poised and comfortable he looks on the floor. It’s awesome when fringe NBA players seize an opportunity and make a name for themselves — Williams has shown enough to warrant a serious look at a real roster spot. He’s better than Jaden Hardy.
Crushed on the glass
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With Dereck Lively II, Daniel Gafford, Anthony Davis, and PJ Washington all on the shelf, no one expects the Mavericks to win many rebounding battles. But tonight, they got annihilated on the boards, 47-31. The Spurs also had 13 big offensive rebounds. As shorthanded and talent-deficient as these Mavericks are, they simply cannot afford to give teams all these extra possessions. It’s not like San Antonio, who is missing Victor Wembanyama, is some rebounding powerhouse. Dallas just got outcompeted on the glass tonight, and that played a large role in the loss.
The “organic tank” roles along
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At this point, there is nothing to be gained from the Mavericks making the play-in tournament, even if Anthony Davis returns. They would have been better off losing both games in San Antonio, though it’s hard to be too upset anytime they hand the Spurs a loss. Monday’s win hurt the Mavericks’ lottery chances. but tonight got them back within 2.5 games of the Suns for the 11th seed. The collection of players Dallas has suiting up right now play hard every night, and coach Jason Kidd hasn’t lost the locker room. However, there are just too many missing bodies, and the season is realistically over; the losses should continue to roll in. Unfortunately, that’s for the best right now.