CHARLOTTE — Despite competing at a high level for the better part of 48 minutes Wednesday night before suffering a 94-87 home loss to the San Antonio Spurs, the Dallas Mavericks may have established a blueprint for success this season through grittiness and hard play.
Continuing to play without 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki (right Achilles strain) and veteran guard J.J. Barea (left calf strain), the Mavericks (3-14) controlled most of Wednesday’s matchup against their in-state rival prior to seeing the Spurs stage a late-game rally. The Mavs will now try to carry over the successful things that did in that loss to Thursday’s outing in Charlotte to conclude a difficult back-to-back.