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The San Antonio Spurs will welcome the Dallas Mavericks to the Frost Bank Center in the early hours of Thursday, Nov. 5, 2026, with San Antonio riding a five-game winning streak and Dallas searching for answers after a home loss to the Sacramento Kings. Tipoff is set for 3:30 a.m. French time, according to BasketUSA, which first reported the matchup details. The Western Conference finalists have not lost since opening the season with defeats to Oklahoma City and Houston, while the Mavericks dropped their three-game winning streak in a 100-115 setback Monday.
The two Texas rivals already met once this season, with the Spurs prevailing 122-106 at Dallas on Oct. 24, a game the Mavericks played without Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. BasketUSA reported that Dallas coughed up 21 turnovers in that loss, against 12 for San Antonio, and was outscored 30-17 in the final quarter after leading 85-84 with 12 minutes remaining.
Five Straight Wins for San Antonio, a Stumble for Dallas
The Spurs improved to 5-2 and sixth place in the Western Conference with their fifth victory, a 119-97 rout of Utah on Monday. Dylan Harper poured in 17 points and dished out eight assists, while Victor Wembanyama finished with 12 points, 11 rebounds and three blocks. Earlier in the streak, San Antonio posted a 130-103 win over Sacramento and a 121-111 victory against Minnesota.
De’Aaron Fox has silenced preseason questions about the Spurs’ backcourt by shooting 58.2% from the field, and Stephon Castle is contributing 2.4 made three-pointers per game. The Spurs are scoring 117.6 points per game while allowing 108.3, with an offensive rating of 115.6 and a defensive rating of 106.8.
Dallas, at 4-3 and ninth in the West, had won three in a row before the Kings handed the Mavericks their first loss of the season at home — Sacramento’s first victory. The Mavericks average 112.3 points scored and 112.3 allowed, with matching offensive and defensive ratings of 112.6 and 112.4. On the road, Dallas is 2-1.
Injury Report: Mavericks Depleted in the Paint, Spurs Nearly Whole
The Mavericks face a lengthy absence list. Dereck Lively II is out following right foot surgery, Santi Aldama is still recovering from right knee surgery, Tarik Biberovic has right heel bursitis, and Sergio De Larrea sprained his right knee — he had scored 21 points in the Oct. 24 loss to San Antonio. Kyrie Irving is being managed for his left knee and Max Christie left Monday’s game with a hip injury; both are game-time decisions. Irving has played in only three of Dallas’s last five games, and his shooting has been a bright spot when he has appeared, connecting on 52.7% of his shots over five appearances.
If Irving and Christie sit, Marcus Sasser would run point with Zaccharie Risacher at the wing, joining Cooper Flagg, P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford in the starting five. The Spurs are missing only Tobias Harris (calf) and Jayden Quaintance (knee), leaving Fox, Castle, Harper, Devin Vassell and Wembanyama available, with Julian Champagnie and Keldon Johnson leading the bench scoring.
Six Straight Over Dallas, and None of Them Close
San Antonio has won six consecutive meetings with the Mavericks and swept the 2025-26 season series 4-0, winning each game by at least 12 points. The most lopsided result came on opening night last season, a 125-92 victory at Dallas that produced a 33-point margin. The Spurs also scored 138 and 139 points in their two home games against Dallas a season ago.
The Mavericks have not won at the Frost Bank Center since a 133-129 victory on March 10, 2025, and have dropped three straight trips to San Antonio. Dallas’s offense still carries an edge in shooting accuracy — 48.3% from the field versus San Antonio’s 46.5% — but the Spurs outrebound the Mavericks and limit their turnovers to 13.4 per game against Dallas’s 17.0. At home, San Antonio is 3-2.
Wembanyama vs. Gafford, Flagg vs. Castle
Wembanyama, averaging 25.7 points and 10.7 rebounds, will attack a Dallas frontcourt without Lively, with Gafford — the NBA’s most accurate shooter at 75.0% — serving as the primary rim protector. Gafford averages 10.1 points and 7.0 rebounds and finishes nearly all of his attempts near the basket, making the battle for lobs and offensive rebounds with Wembanyama central. In the Oct. 24 meeting, Wembanyama recorded 23 points, seven rebounds and four blocks.
Flagg, who missed the first meeting with a shoulder sprain, will make his season debut against San Antonio and figures to draw Stephon Castle, who averages 14.7 points and 5.0 assists. Flagg is scoring 25.2 points and handing out 6.5 assists per game and has played in four of Dallas’s last five contests. The Spurs’ guards forced 21 turnovers in the first meeting.
What the Numbers Say
Combining the teams’ scoring and allowed averages projects roughly 225.9 points for Spurs games and 224.6 for Mavericks games, both well below a typical 229.5 total line. San Antonio’s defense has been the separator — 106.8 points allowed per 100 possessions against Dallas’s 112.4 — as the Spurs host Dallas at the Frost Bank Center.
Harper’s playmaking gives San Antonio another dimension; he is averaging 5.3 assists over his last five games and has hit the over on 4.5 assists in each of his last seven appearances. Wembanyama has exceeded 24.5 points in seven of his last seven games, averaging 31.2 over his last five.
Questions a Reader Still Wants Answered
Will Kyrie Irving play? Irving is being managed for left knee soreness and has sat out two of the last five games. Dallas beat a shorthanded Oklahoma City team 120-96 earlier this season when Irving was available, but the Spurs’ ball security — 13.4 turnovers forced per game — could neutralize that advantage.
Who fills in for Dereck Lively II? Daniel Gafford leads the league in field-goal percentage at 75.0% and serves as Dallas’s main rim protector in Lively’s absence, shifting more creation to Flagg and the backcourt.
When do they meet again? The series continues Feb. 9 at Dallas, with a final regular-season meeting scheduled for March 19 back at the Frost Bank Center.
The open question hanging over Thursday is whether Irving can play; without him, Dallas leans heavily on Flagg against a Spurs team that has controlled this rivalry for more than a year. The next confirmed checkpoint after tipoff is the Feb. 9 rematch in Dallas.
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