Wembanyama dominates both ends as Spurs pull away. Meanwhile, Cooper Flagg’s historic scoring tear continues despite the Mavericks' tough loss.
DALLAS — Victor Wembanyama controlled the game at both ends, and the San Antonio Spurs finished the night with a decisive late push to defeat the Dallas Mavericks 135-123 on Thursday at American Airlines Center.
Wembanyama totaled 29 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots, anchoring a balanced Spurs attack that improved to 35-16. Dallas lost its sixth straight game and fell to 19-32 despite another historic scoring night from rookie cornerstone Cooper Flagg.
Flagg scored 32 points for the fourth consecutive game, adding six rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Naji Marshall matched him with 32 points and six rebounds, Max Christie finished with 20 points, and Daniel Gafford posted 16 points, 10 rebounds, three steals and four blocks as Dallas again showed offensive firepower but struggled to string together stops.
San Antonio had answers throughout. Harrison Barnes scored 19 points, Stephon Castle recorded 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists, and De’Aaron Fox added 17 points and seven assists while playing through a rough shooting night. Julian Champagnie contributed 14 points and seven rebounds, and Devin Vassell added 12 points and seven boards, giving the Spurs seven players in double figures.
The Mavericks briefly made it interesting late. After Marshall sank two free throws to cut the deficit to 128-123, San Antonio responded with the game’s final seven points — a Fox 3-pointer, two free throws by Wembanyama and a rebound dunk by Castle with 53.6 seconds left.
Kidd said Fox’s late shot was the turning point.
“It was big,” Kidd said. “We had some good looks, and they made the big ones going down the stretch.”
The tone was set earlier by Wembanyama’s perimeter shooting. He made his first five 3-point attempts and scored 20 points by halftime, helping the Spurs take a 74-63 lead at the break. San Antonio shot 53.8 percent from the floor and made 10 of 25 from deep in the first half, while Dallas connected on 53.1 percent but couldn’t slow the pace.
“You can’t give him angles,” Kidd said of Wembanyama. “He’s one that can stretch from the three-point line. His ability to create shots that no one on this planet can create — you just try to make it tough.”
Despite the early hole, Dallas mounted a push behind Flagg, who scored 22 of his points after halftime as the Mavericks trimmed a 13-point deficit to one. They never managed to take the lead.
Spurs coach Mitch Johnson said Flagg’s growth since the teams met on opening night has been unmistakable.
Johnson reflected on Flagg’s development.
“It wasn’t a matter of if,” Johnson said. “It was a matter of when. You can see it almost in real time when that confidence grows and the game slows down, and then you see some pretty steep improvement in a short amount of time.”
Flagg’s scoring streak places him alongside Michael Jordan, Bernard King, Allen Iverson and Jalen Green as the only rookies since the NBA-ABA merger to score at least 30 points in four straight games.
Kidd said the rookie’s progress has reinforced Dallas’ long-term vision.
“The runway is long,” Kidd said. “He’s 19 years old. He’s developing an understanding of the NBA game and the physicality. His game is very impressive. Now it’s on us to find the pieces that fit.”
Marshall said his chemistry with Flagg has come naturally amid the upheaval of injuries and roster changes.
“We’ve been with each other day in and day out since training camp,” Marshall said. “Just reps. Cooper’s doing his thing, and I’m learning how to feed off him and be helpful for him.”
Flagg, meanwhile, pointed to the difficulty of dealing with Wembanyama’s range.
“You’ve got to get your shot up quick, or he’s coming to block it every time,” Flagg said. “When he gets in that mode, it’s tough to stop him.”
The teams will meet again Saturday in San Antonio, where the Spurs will look to keep rolling and the Mavericks will try to halt a season-long slide that has tested both patience and resolve.