The San Antonio Spurs left Dallas with a 122-106 road win over the Mavericks on October 25, 2026, using a decisive third-quarter surge and a long, disruptive defensive stretch to turn a competitive first half into a comfortable NBA result at American Airlines Center. Victor Wembanyama led all scorers with 31 points, and San Antonio’s young core controlled the game on both ends after halftime.

Match overview

The Mavericks opened with energy and attacked the paint early, but San Antonio stayed within striking distance by moving the ball and forcing Dallas into contested jump shots. The Spurs led 58-55 at halftime, then blew the game open with a 34-19 third quarter. Dallas never recovered fully, despite a brief fourth-quarter push that cut the deficit to 10.

San Antonio’s defense was the story. The Spurs rotated quickly on the perimeter, crowded Anthony Davis in the post, and forced Dallas into 17 turnovers. Offensively, San Antonio shot 48% from the field and generated 29 assists, repeatedly finding cutters behind Dallas’s overhelping defense.

Key moments

The turning point came midway through the third quarter. With San Antonio ahead 72-67, Wembanyama sparked a 13-2 run with a transition dunk, a blocked shot at the rim, and a three-pointer from the top of the key. Dallas called timeout, but the Spurs kept rolling. Stephon Castle added two tough drives, and De’Aaron Fox pushed the pace for an easy transition layup that made it 85-69.

Dallas made one last run early in the fourth, trimming the lead to 94-84 after consecutive threes, but San Antonio answered with a 9-0 burst. Wembanyama’s fifth block of the night led directly to a Fox fast-break basket, and the Spurs coasted from there.

Tactical story

San Antonio used a switching scheme to keep Davis from getting deep post position, then sent late doubles when he tried to back down smaller defenders. That approach left Dallas reliant on perimeter shooting, and the Mavericks never found a consistent rhythm from beyond the arc. On offense, the Spurs attacked Dallas’s drop coverage with ball screens for Fox and Castle, forcing the Mavericks’ big men to make decisions in space.

Dallas’s best stretches came when Davis operated as a hub at the elbow, but the Spurs adjusted by denying his preferred passing lanes. The Mavericks finished with only 21 assists and shot 44% overall.

Standout players

• Victor Wembanyama, Spurs: 31 points, 13 rebounds, 5 blocks, and constant defensive pressure.
• Stephon Castle, Spurs: 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists, attacking the rim aggressively.
• De’Aaron Fox, Spurs: 18 points and 9 assists, controlling tempo in the second half.
• Anthony Davis, Mavericks: 27 points and 11 rebounds, but he had to work for every touch.
• Cooper Flagg, Mavericks: 20 points and 7 rebounds in a promising but uneven performance.

Season impact

The win gave San Antonio an important early-season road result and reinforced its defensive identity in the Western Conference standings. For Dallas, the loss exposed familiar spacing issues when Davis is crowded and the offense stalls. The Mavericks will need better ball movement and more consistent perimeter shooting to avoid similar lopsided stretches. The head-to-head result also gives the Spurs early confidence in a rivalry that could matter in the conference playoff race.