SAN ANTONIO —
Recap
In a raucous environment at the newly-named Frost Bank Center, the Spurs put up a good fight against the rival Mavericks but fell 126-119.
Rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama had a few highlight plays early on in his official debut and made an impact off the stat sheet and struggled with early foul trouble, but exploded in the fourth quarter to turn the tide in a close game. Devin Vassell led San Antonio with 23 points, one of seven in double figures for the Silver & Black.
First quarter
San Antonio got out to a hot start, and Victor Wembanyama got his first official block about 30 seconds into his NBA career. He got an easy assist too, dumping it down to Zach Collins in the post. Wemby pulled up for three in transition, but missed.
Devin Vassell looked crisp and aggressive in the early going, attacking the basket and finishing with authority on a variety of setups.
Wemby picked and popped, and Vassell took an extra dribble before hitting the 19-year-old for his first NBA basket. A bit later on Wemby caught in the corner, dribbled to his left, stayed in bounds and drilled another triple.
Keldon Johnson made an early impact, hitting from deep and also working it inside. San Antonio led 43-36 after one.
Second quarter
Keldon kept up his attacking play, and Jeremy Sochan knocked down his second three of the game to join him in double figures.
San Antonio got a bit sloppy, and the Mavs were able to climb back into it and tie things up at 52.
Wembanyama's presence in the paint clearly deterred Dallas' drivers from trying to shoot it. He went to the bench, and San Antonio ripped off a 12-0 run capped with a mid-range jumper and a three by Vassell. That pushed the Spurs' lead to 12.
Dallas went on a run of their own, making it 68-64 at the half. Wemby finished the first half with 6 points, 3 rebounds, a block, a steal and an assist in 12 minutes. Vassell led San Antonio with 15 points at the break, and Sochan and Johnson each had 10.
Third quarter
Zach Collins opened the second half with a bucket. Sochan missed a pass to Wemby on the block with a mismatch and missed a three instead, and Pop called a timeout shortly thereafter.
After the timeout Sochan cut backdoor and crammed a two-handed jam. Wemby picked up a pair of offensive fouls, and went to the bench with four. Dallas pushed in front, then Vassell calmed things down with a mid-range jumper.
The Mavs extended their first lead of the game to 3, but Tre Jones hit free throws and a triple to put the Spurs back in front. Jones grabbed a loose ball and tossed it ahead to Cedi Osman for a layup that forced a timeout.
Dallas got back to scoring, but Jones kept up the pressure. He pushed for a layup, then dropped a dime to Charles Bassey. The Mavs closed the quarter up 96-91, their largest lead of the game.
Fourth quarter
Gregg Popovich went into his bag of tricks on the first play, sending Keldon around an off-ball screen for a lob from Sochan and a big jam.
Wemby reached in just seconds into the quarter and foolishly picked up his fifth foul, sending him back to the bench after a stint that lasted less than a minute.
Keldon drove through contact for a tough and-1 finish, then drove in for a baby hook to make it a 5-0 run and tie it. He hit Sochan in stride to send him to the line, and the one-armed bandit split the pair to put the Spurs back in front.
Dallas built their lead to 5 points with about 7 minutes left, and Pop called time. Wemby came back in with 5 fouls, ready to play the most meaningful minutes of his career. He set a screen, rolled hard, caught the lob and crammed it in. He put it on the floor, crossed over, and splashed in a three as the crowd erupted.
Cedi Osman knocked down another to make it a one-point game.
San Antonio got a stop, Wemby worked early and got under the basket for a slam through a foul. He flew around on defense to contest shooters at the arc.
After a timeout, Wemby got it in the post and swished a mid-range jumper to tie it at 115. Tre Jones hit a pair of huge free throws to put the Spurs back in front, then Luka Doncic answered with an and-1.
Vassell cut backdoor and got free throws, and San Antonio edged ahead once more.
Kyrie Irving hit a three and then a transition layup to put Dallas up four, and San Antonio's offense sputtered. Doncic stepped back for a dagger to make it a 7-point Dallas lead with 29 seconds to play.
Dallas won 126-119.
Pregame
Victor Wembanyama is set to make his NBA debut when the Spurs host the Mavericks to open the season on Wednesday night in San Antonio.
Gregg Popovich has high hopes for his young team as a new era of Spurs basketball begins. The 19-year-old rookie phenom has lived up to the insane hype in the preseason, and the excitement is palpable from the city and the fanbase to the practice facility and Wembanyama himself.
"This one feels unreal even more. I thought... maybe like a month ago I thought that some preseason games would prepare me for that moment, and it would be like just another game maybe, but it feels totally different. Just the fact that it's an actual NBA regular season game, it is different," he said after a long practice at the team's new facility on Tuesday afternoon. "Feeling lucky as always, but also focused, locked in. We know what we've got to do, and a good way to start is with a win."
Wembanyama played in four preseason games and averaged about 19 points, 5 rebounds and 3 blocks. He put up a series of astonishing highlight-reel plays on both ends of the floor and showed all the things he does at 7'3" that make him the most highly anticipated prospect in 20 years.
Still, it feels like he's just scratching the surface. He only played 21 minutes per game, and hasn't yet gotten to play in clutch moments while wearing a Spurs jersey.
"I miss it, it's been months," he said. "I know nobody has seen my best side so far, because I haven't gotten to finish games yet in the preseason. But it's going to be interesting."
San Antonio has treated the preseason as a sandbox for trying new things as they figure out the best way to deploy their talent on the court. Pop has made a bold decision to roll with a big starting lineup, and that allows Wemby to play the four, switch often and act as an off-ball disruptor.
"I've just learned so much ever since I came here. On offense, of course, the set plays and principles of the game, but on defense I've played a role that I had never had before, and I really love it," Wembanyama said Tuesday. "I love learning and I've learned so much, experiencing so much new stuff in practice that I'm really, really excited. It's promising. I think we've learned quicker than I expected. The possibilities on defense are endless with that team."
Popovich has spoken about experimenting with Wemby and the whole team, saying on Media Day that he wanted to spend time watching and understanding his unique rookie before giving him too much direct instruction. The Hall of Fame coach has already made it clear that he wants to learn as he goes with this young group, and Wembanyama is excited about the chance to grow in that sort of environment.
"I thought about doing some stuff before, but in the teams I've played with, our league was so competitive in the past that we couldn't really experiment. Just five minutes of experimenting (with) a new role just for me on defense, I've always been pretty important defensively for my teams, it was a huge risk. It's stuff I thought about doing but never had the time or opportunity to do."
The excitement for opening night can be felt up and down the roster.
"I think I'm most excited for tonight of any season I've been a part of so far. We've had a really good training camp and offseason, and we're just ready to get going now," said Tre Jones, who looks to be the point guard of the bench unit. "There definitely is more attention, more cameras, media and everything, but we've been able to stay focused on what matters most and work on us."
"Everybody's excited, energy in here is crazy, we're ready to get this thing going. Every opening night is pretty big. Obviously it's gonna be a lot more eyes, a lot more attention, but every opening night is super exciting," said Devin Vassell, fresh off signing a big contract extension and lighting it up in the preseason. "I think at the end of the day we're gonna be a lot better than people expect. If we're an underdog we're an underdog, but we're gonna try to get a win and that's all we care about."
Recent history
The Spurs are coming off a 122-117 preseason win in Golden State in what appeared to be a dress rehearsal for the regular season rotation. Jeremy Sochan, Devin Vassell, Keldon Johnson and Zach Collins joined Wemby in the starting lineup for the last two games, and Pop confirmed he's rolling with the supersized starters moving forward. The team went 3-2 in the preseason, and the defense appears to be a point of emphasis.
Dallas closed their preseason with a 114-104 win over the Pistons after losing their first three. The Mavs beat the Spurs three times last season, with Luka Doncic famously scoring 51 after Popovich said they'd try to hold him to 50. San Antonio got the last laugh as a shorthanded Spurs beat their in-state rivals 138-117 in April. The matchup between MVP candidate Doncic and defensive pest Jeremy Sochan has been fascinating to follow as Sochan hones his craft.
Injury report
Luka Doncic was listed as questionable for this one after tweaking his calf in the preseason, but cleared to play before the game. Dwight Powell and Jaden Hardy are both available after being listed as questionable for the Mavericks.
Zach Collins just signed a contract extension, but San Antonio's starting center was listed as questionable for the opener with a non-COVID illness. Before tip, Gregg Popovich confirmed the big man would play.
Game information
When: 8:30 p.m. CST
Where: Frost Bank Center, San Antonio
How to watch: ESPN
Follow KENS 5's Spurs team on Twitter for the latest updates: