Mavs Game Observations: Game 1 vs Spurs [Game of the Week]

First steps aren’t always easy, but this one was a blast

Photo by Sam Hodde / Getty Images

We’ve got one under our belt! What started as a bit of an off and disjointed game from the Mavericks turned into something surprisingly fun to watch. The Mavericks opened their season with a strong 120-109 win over the San Antonio Spurs.

Before we dive into the night’s biggest storylines, a quick note on what I mentioned in my preview in case you missed it: each week, I’ll pick one game as the Game of the Week (this week’s opener made it an easy choice). For these games, both the preview and post-game notes will be fully available for everyone to read. For other games, some insights will be limited to paid subscribers, so if you’re able, please consider upgrading to support the work!

All season long, you’ll be able to find game previews and observations in the dedicated 2024-25 Game Coverage section on the digginbasketball website.

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Today’s notes:

1. Offense in early preseason mode early…

2. But hustle and defense carried over from the playoffs (🎞️VIDEO)

3. Klay Thomson is here!

4. Luka fourth quarter Spanish-style takeover (🎞️VIDEO)

5. Jaden Hardy raising eyebrows with playmaking (🎞️VIDEO)

Bonus short notes on: Dereck Lively II. Luka, Kyrie and Klay participating on defense. And another proof how deep the Mavs are.

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1-Offense in preseason mode early…

It was Luka's first competitive game since July, the first game ever for Luka, Kyrie, and Klay together, and the first game of the season—and it all showed early. The new-look Mavs were working to find rhythm and flow on offense, perhaps trying a bit too hard to make sure everyone felt involved. Luka couldn’t get a layup or a three to fall early, going just 4-for-14 in the first half, and most of his teammates didn’t fare much better, with Dallas shooting only 35 percent before the break.

We saw the ‘others’ (not Luka or Kyrie) frequently bringing the ball up and sometimes a bit too eager with quick pull-up threes. Dallas scored just 20 points in the first quarter and reached 47 by halftime.

2-But hustle and defense carried over from the playoffs (🎞️VIDEO)

Defense was not perfect (there were some bad early transition breakdowns), not surprisingly for the first game, but it was nice to see the Mavericks brought two elements of their playoff’s success on the defensive end:

a.) great game plan, and

b.) overwhelming opponents with hustle, size, and physicality.

Last season taught us that the Mavericks’ game plan works best when they can help off a weak shooter. As I pointed out in my preview, that player for the Spurs was Jeremy Sochan. The Mavericks ‘switched everything’ on the perimeter against Wembanyama, helped off Sochan, and when the 7-foot-4 Frenchman tried to exploit mismatches in the post, the Mavs big man was ready to ‘scram switch’ and/or ‘kicking out’ a smaller teammate from that matchup:

Despite poor shooting, hustle kept the Mavs in the game in the first half: they grabbed 10 offensive boards and forced 12 turnovers against the smaller, less physical Spurs.

3-Klay Thompson is here!

Don’t need to spend too many fancy words on Klay, will just quote Luka: “It’s Klay Thompson.”

It was great to see Thompson shine in his debut after his preseason shooting struggles. He put up 22 points, hitting 6 of 10 from three. (Remember a certain someone mentioning that Mavs three-point volume would be key to a Top 5 offense?)

Playing alongside Dončić certainly didn’t hurt the 34-year-old sharpshooter. My pal Marc Stein warned us that Thompson was thriving off Luka’s passes in recent practices, but even Thompson himself was probably surprised at just how open he was on some of his looks. Which brings me to my next observation.

4-Luka fourth quarter Spanish-style takeover (🎞️VIDEO)

We saw glimpses of what extending the Luka-Kyrie 1-2 punch into a 1-2-3 punch with Klay could look like in the future, especially in the early third quarter. The star trio hit five threes combined in less than five minutes, quickly building a 14-point Mavericks lead. But the Mavericks kept playing with their food, allowing the Spurs to cut the lead in half by the end of the period.

It took Dončić just six minutes to shake off the rust and remind us why the Mavericks boast two of the league’s best fourth-quarter players. During this stretch in the fourth quarter, No. 77 scored 14 points, hitting all three of his threes. The Mavericks built a 21-point lead, prompting Popovich to wave the white flag, subbing out his starters for the bench crew.

And then there were the two assists.

Dallas ran one of Luka's favorite plays—the Spain (or Stack) pick-and-roll—with Thompson as the second screener. The chaos this setup created in their first game together was almost comical. Sure, the Spurs defense looked lost in their season opener, but it’s hard not to imagine this becoming a staple Mavs play—maybe even featuring both Kyrie and Klay as screeners in the future.

5-Jaden Hardy raising eyebrows with playmaking (🎞️VIDEO)

Jaden Hardy made a huge impact in the second quarter, stepping up when his teammates couldn’t make a shot to save their lives. Hardy drained 3 of his 4 three-pointers, keeping the Mavericks close. But we already knew the kid could shoot.

What really stood out, however, was his passing. My readers here know I’ve often been critical of Hardy’s decision-making in the past. But last night, the 22-year-old made some passes that could signal something bigger in the big picture. If this level of playmaking is real, the Mavericks got an incredible bargain on his new 3-year, $18 million contract extension.

Bonus short notes:

• Dereck Lively II: While Daniel Gafford got the starting nod and generally held his own, Lively continued to impress with 15 points, 11 rebounds, a steal, and plenty of contested shots. Whether Gafford or Lively starts next game, the minute distribution (Lively 28, Gafford 19) seems key—and it seemed optimal in this game.

• Luka, Kyrie, and Klay participating up on defense: The revamped starting backcourt brings defensive questions, and while the Spurs weren’t the toughest test, the star trio’s effort pressuring the ball stood out. Their hustle was a big factor in the Mavs convincingly winning the turnover battle (Mavs had 8.6 percent turnover rate, compared to Spurs at 19.4 percent - remember the four factors?)

• Another sign of Mavs' depth: It’s rare to see Dončić as the last starter to score, but that’s exactly what happened last night, with Gafford, Thompson, Irving, and Washington all hitting the scoreboard first.

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