The Mavs even opened with a Stack pick-and-roll, which resulted in a paint finish for Gafford…

SAN ANTONIO: Tuesday night at Frost Bank Center, the Dallas Mavericks faced the rebuilding San Antonio Spurs after a thrilling 107-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets. Luka Doncic’s subpar shooting wasn’t enough to keep the Mavs from winning 113-107. With a 10-5 advantage at the start of the game, Dallas concentrated on exploiting the Spurs’ drop coverage on ball screens and handoffs. The Mavs even started the game with a pick-and-roll by Stack, which gave Gafford a paint finish. Traditional pick-and-roll plays were transformed into some impressive plays by Doncic, such as a step-back 3-pointer produced by slithering the screen.

The Mavs began the game by crossmatching the power forward and center positions on defense. P.J. Washington guarded Victor Wembanyama while Daniel Gafford took on Jeremy Sochan’s “weak shooter” assignment. The goal was to shrink the floor and have a roaming rim protector to make help rotations. Both teams had a lengthy stretch attacking in transition, including a three-quarter court alley-oop pass from Doncic to Derrick Jones Jr. for a dunk. The Mavs struggled to get to the rim with Wembanyama on the court after some early success, resulting in some tough shots leading to empty possessions.

Irving led an incredible run during this time, outscoring the Spurs 12–7 to end the first quarter while playing with a lot of aggression and a desire to make plays. Irving started his spree by finishing a wide move. He then attacked in the early going, taking advantage of single coverage and defensive lapses from the Spurs’ defense. Even more, he discovered that Gafford had been left wide open for a finish in semi-transition. Irving’s leadership was crucial, even in fending off a blitz from a subsequent attack that emerged from early isolation in order to reach the basket.