DALLAS (AP) – Luka Doncic had 22 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in his 33rd triple-double, Kristaps Porzingis had 28 points and 14 rebounds and those Dallas Mavericks took advantage of a late run to pull back and hit the San Antonio encourages 115-104 on Wednesday evening.
Dallas ended up running 17-4 against a Spurs team that will no longer have a seven-time All-Star LaMarcus Aldridge in the lineup.
Before the game, coach Gregg Popovich announced that 35-year-old Aldridge would no longer work amicably with the team in his sixth season in San Antonio.
“He was a great teammate,” said Popovich, who added that Aldridge is healthy. “We just think this is a win-win for both LaMarcus and the club.”
Spurs veteran guard Patty Mills also played with Aldridge in Portland.
“He could be the longest teammate I’ve ever had,” said Mills. “He is obviously very much valued by this group and every team he has played for. As a teammate, you only wish him the best. ”
DeMar DeRozan had 30 points, 11 assists and four steals for the Spurs. Mills added 14 points and Rudy Gay had 13 for San Antonio, who beat 51-30 and scored 21-2 on second chance points.
“We lost the game on the boards,” said Popovich. “Porzingis was great on the boards. I thought we did a good job at Doncic. Played hard, played well, but too many mental errors and a bit of uneven flow and offensive uneven performance. ”
During the Mavericks’ late sprint, the Spurs missed eleven direct shots over a period of nearly eight minutes.
Porzingis, who underwent knee surgery out of season, has doubles-doubles in three straight and seven of his last twelve games.
“I feel like I’m there,” said Porzingis. “I have to keep working on it. After the operation, the leg no longer feels like this. ”
Dallas coach Rick Carlisle called Porzingis “enormous”.
“He was great on defense. He passed the ball. He cut. He moved. He did practically everything, ”said Carlisle.
Doncic is tied for 11th place in the career triple double with Bob Cousy.
The Mavericks ‘late boost began in the middle of the fourth quarter when the Spurs’ Derrick White fouled Josh Richardson with 1.2 seconds left on the shot clock.
The Spurs were leading at break with 59:52, which was their largest lead of half, led by DeRozan’s 14 points, eight assists and three steals.
TIP-INS
Spurs: Aldridge has been All-Star three times for the Spurs. He played 21 of 32 games in San Antonio this season averaging 13.7 points and 4.5 rebounds in 25.9 minutes – a career low in rebounds and his fewest points and minutes since he was a rookie.
Mavericks: Dallas changed its attendance policy after the All-Star hiatus to allow about 3,500, up about a 1,000 increase. Everyone at the American Airlines Center must continue to wear a mask under NBA rules.
BENCH BATTLE
Reserves predictably did not disappoint as Spurs bank topped the Mavericks’ 39-35. San Antonio finished fifth in the NBA with an average of 39.2 bank points. Dallas was ninth with an average of 38.0.
NEXT
Spurs: hosted Orlando on Friday night – for the first time this season with fans at the AT&T Center – ahead of a five-game road trip.
Mavericks: Finish a back-to-back in Oklahoma City on Thursday night. They kept the Thunder at a season low of 78 points in a nine-point win in Dallas in their last game before the All-Star break.
