October 25, 2026 at 3:14 AM UTC

Postgame Report

Spurs pull away from Mavericks, 122-106, on a night nobody had fresh legs

By How we produce articles

San Antonio beat Dallas by 16 in Dallas, with both teams playing the second night of a back-to-back and the Mavericks missing Cooper Flagg.

The Spurs beat the Mavericks 122-106 at American Airlines Center on a night when both teams were playing the second half of a back-to-back. For Dallas it was the first of those this season, and it showed over 48 minutes. San Antonio led comfortably down the stretch, and the Mavericks never found a way to cut into a 16-point margin.

The night had been sold as a sophomore showdown between Cooper Flagg and Dylan Harper, and half of that billing was gone before tip. Flagg was out with a mild left shoulder sprain and will be re-evaluated next week. Kyrie Irving was also a question mark, with Dallas expected to list him as questionable as it manages his left knee. A team on short rest with its young star in street clothes and a veteran guard on a watch list doesn't have much margin for error.

San Antonio had its own reasons to show up with some edge. The Spurs lost 114-110 to Houston the night before, a game that ended when Amen Thompson blocked what could have been a game-tying shot from Victor Wembanyama. Wembanyama arrived in Dallas having bounced back from a poor opener with 25 points, 13 rebounds and two blocks, and the Spurs played like a team that wanted to move on from a loss that close.

The Mavericks came in with some early good feeling, having given Dusty May his first win as head coach, 121-105 over Indiana. This was a different kind of test, on tired legs and without Flagg. Dallas will get a few days to rest and see where Irving and Flagg stand, and May will find out how much of that Indiana win was the team and how much was the schedule.

Sources

All game reports