For the second time this week, Spurs and Mavericks crossed swords. This time it is Victor Wembanyama (16 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks) who opened the scoring, sent to the alley-oop by De’Aaron Fox. Quickly, the Spurs take a ten-point lead. When Victor Wembanyama leaves to sit on the bench, the duo Stephon Castle (40 points, 12 rebounds, 12 assists) – Devin Vassell carries the San Antonio attack. The two players combined for 18 of the Texans’ 39 points in the first quarter (39-32).
To open the second act, Klay Thompson (19 points, 4/10 at 3-points) made two winning baskets to bring Dallas back to one point. A few minutes later, Caleb Martin gets the better of Victor Wembanyama to give the Mavericks the advantage (48-47).
However, this good spell for Jason Kidd’s men did not last. San Antonio quickly gets back in front and widens a new gap to the rhythm of distant baskets from Carter Bryant. The rookie managed three while Stephon Castle had a perfect first half with a 6/6 shooting (81-67).
Triple-double and career high for Stephon Castle
After the break, the reigning Rookie of the Year does not let up. He celebrates his tenth successful shot of the evening with a windmill on the counterattack. Later, he will conclude a new counter-attack to see his personal counter display 34 points, synonymous with a new career record (108-80).
Until the end of the match, the Spurs had fun in the visitors’ defense like this “alley-oop” between Dylan Harper et Luke Kornet. After a missed shot from Caleb Martin, Stephon Castle took the rebound to validate his second career triple-double. On offense, Devin Vassell misses from afar, but the sophomore emerges to catch the ball in the air and slam it into the basket.
Thus, the Spurs easily won 138-125 and scored a fourth victory in a row before traveling to Los Angeles to challenge the Lakers this Tuesday.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– An offensive explosion in San Antonio. The Dallas attack tried to stand up to that of San Antonio despite the 81 points scored by Mitch Johnson’s men in the first half. However, the defense took on water and the Spurs wandered around the half of the Texan neighbor’s field like these numerous “alley-oops”. While the Mavs had regained the advantage in the second quarter, they were surprised by a hot shot from Carter Bryant, author of three award-winning baskets before halftime. This “run” got the better of the visitors who never managed to get back on track after going to the locker room.
– Unforgettable night for Stephon Castle. To get his career record, Stephon Castle was surgical for two and a half quarters with a perfect 10/10 shooting. Although he missed his 11th attempt of the evening, that did not prevent him from reaching 40 points with this impressive effort at the end of the match. The leader was not content with scoring points as he shone in rebounding with his 12 catches and in distribution with 12 assists. Enough to end the evening with a superb triple-double.
– A successful first for Marvin Bagley. Among the arrivals in Dallas during the “trade deadline”, there were Marvin Bagleycoming from Washington in the transfer of Anthony Davis. For his debut, the former Wizards scored a double-double with 16 points and 12 rebounds. He also stood out in defense with four blocks. On the side of Tyus Jones, Arriving from Charlotte, this first match under Texan colors was more discreet. The leader had to settle for four points and seven rebounds in 16 minutes.
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
