Doncic scores 28 points, Thompson adds 22 points in his Dallas debut as the Mavs lead the Spurs 120-109

DALLAS (AP) — Luka Doncic had 28 points and 10 rebounds, Klay Thompson added 22 points in his Dallas debut and the Mavericks beat the San Antonio Spurs 120-109 on Thursday night in the opening game for both teams.

Kyrie Irving had 15 points for the defending Western Conference champions, who got eight assists from Doncic and seven rebounds from Thompson.

Victor Wembanyama shot just 5 of 18 from the field and scored 17 points to open the young French phenom's second year with the Spurs. Jeremy Sochan and Julian Champagnie each scored 18 points.

Takeaways

Spurs: Thompson's first game with the Mavericks was the headliner, but Chris Paul's debut in San Antonio at the start of his 20th season was an important moment for the Spurs in the growth of a young team looking to end a five-year playoff drought. The offense looked tough and Paul's only points came on a 3 in the third quarter. But the point guard's long-term value was evident with eight assists and seven rebounds.

Mavericks: Dallas talked defense with star offensive trio Doncic, Irving and Thompson. The third quarter saw a brief performance with three consecutive turnovers by San Antonio. Thompson had the first steal, Irving the next two. However, Dallas only scored two points.

Key moment

The Mavericks gained their largest lead to date at 69-55 in the third quarter when Doncic, standing under the basket in heavy traffic, threw a blind pass over his head to PJ Washington Jr., who made it an open 3-pointer.

Key statistics

Dallas pulled away by clearly warming up from distance in the second half. The Mavs were 13 of 21 from 3 after halftime after finishing the first half 6 of 23.

Next

The Spurs play their first consecutive home game against Houston on Saturday. The Mavericks play their away game on Saturday in Phoenix.

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This story updates an earlier version to correct that Dallas was 13 of 21 from 3-point range in the second half instead of 13 of 18.

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