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The Dallas Mavericks defeated the San Antonio Spurs Thursday night in Dallas, winning 142-116. The win brings the Mavericks’ record to 32-29. The loss drops the Spurs’ record to 14-46.
Luka Doncic led all scorers with 28 points. Kyrie Irving added 23, while Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in 22 off the bench. Justin Holiday had 15 points in his Mavericks debut. Malaki Branham led the Spurs with 23 points.
Here are three numbers to know from the game:
5: The number of 3-pointers by Justin Holiday
Holiday had a great debut for the Mavericks. This team has needed a jolt of energy off the bench for some time, and it looks like Holiday has the potential to do that every night. Holiday joins Antoine Walker, Christian Wood, and Kyrie Irving as the only Mavericks to make four or more threes in their Dallas debuts.
+6: The Mavericks margin on fast break points
Dallas never pushes the ball. The addition of Irving seems to be helping with that. Tonight, they outscored the Spurs by six on fast break points. Even better, they only turned the ball over seven times. It proves they can get the ball up the court quickly without being sloppy and giving away possessions. It’s something they’ve been missing in the Luka era so far, and it’s nice to see it changing.
51: The combined points for Doncic and Irving
The Mavericks got their first win with Doncic and Irving playing together. Gone are the days when Doncic needed to score 51 on his own to win games against lottery teams. Irving’s ability to score makes things so much easier in so many ways. The duo also combined for 16 assists.
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