‘Keep Those At Zero’: Dusty May Targets Live-Ball Turnovers As Dallas Mavericks Face San Antonio Spurs Again
SAN ANTONIO — Live-ball turnovers that turn into dunks are the plays the Dallas Mavericks have to keep close to zero Wednesday night against the San Antonio Spurs, Mavericks coach Dusty May said before the rematch at Frost Bank Center.
San Antonio forced 21 Dallas turnovers and committed 12 in a 122-106 win at American Airlines Center on Oct. 24. The Spurs (5-2) have won five straight since that night, and the Mavericks (4-3) come in off a home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday.
Some of those giveaways in the first meeting were illegal screens set into San Antonio’s ball pressure. May said Dallas has improved there since and found different solutions.
“That’s the biggest one, without giving any game plan details away,” May said. “Just the margins are small, especially against a team like San Antonio. So it’s the 50-50 basketballs. Even the turnovers, we set several illegal screens because of their ball pressure and we, for a number of reasons, we’ve improved in that area and we’ve found some different solutions, but those at least allow you to set your defense on the other end.”
“It’s the live ball dunks, which are energizing plays. Those are four-point swings,” May continued. “And so those are the ones that we have to, I think, almost keep those at zero for us to have a chance to win here on the road.”
San Antonio Spurs Forced 21 Turnovers In The First Meeting
Dallas shot 51.1% from the field in the Oct. 24 game, going 45-of-88, and still lost by 16. The Spurs grabbed 15 offensive rebounds to the Mavericks’ 8 and took 101 shots to Dallas’ 88.
The Mavericks won the third quarter 29-24 and went to the fourth trailing 92-89. San Antonio then outscored them 30-17 over the final 12 minutes.
Victor Wembanyama had 23 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 blocks for the Spurs. Dylan Harper scored 22 points, and De’Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each added 19. Rookie Sergio De Larrea led Dallas with 21 points off the bench on 9-of-15 shooting. He is out Wednesday with a right knee sprain.
Rookie Morez Johnson Jr. had 4 of the Mavericks’ turnovers in 12 minutes that night, 3 of them in the first quarter. Cooper Flagg (left shoulder sprain) and Kyrie Irving (left knee injury management) both sat out. Both are available Wednesday.
Dusty May On The Sacramento Kings Loss
Dallas has answered both of its previous losses this season with a win. After the opening-night loss to the Houston Rockets, the Mavericks won 121-105 at the Indiana Pacers. After the first Spurs game, they won 113-109 at the Miami Heat.
Monday’s defeat was a 115-100 home loss to Sacramento, which had not won a game. Rookie Darius Acuff Jr. scored 25 points for Sacramento. Dallas went 7-of-33 from three-point range, and Flagg scored 17 points on 3-of-19 shooting while making 11 free throws. Max Christie left in the second quarter with a right hip injury and is out Wednesday. Irving rested.
Dallas spent a lot of time on the Sacramento film, with the length of the season in mind.
“We spent a lot of time, and obviously the season’s so long, you’re trying to predict what’s going to happen in the future and how to perform better the next time,” May explained. “We learned a lot from that game. We didn’t have the best mindset early on, and the Kings played well.”
“They played more desperate, and where we are right now, especially when we don’t have our full group, we have to be the team that plays with the most desperation,” May continued.
Christie, De Larrea, Santi Aldama (right knee surgery), Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis), and Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery) are all out against San Antonio. Daniel Gafford scored a season-high 20 points on 9-of-10 shooting against Sacramento.
Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. CT on ESPN. Dallas plays at home Friday against the Utah Jazz in NBA Cup group play.
