DALLAS - The Spurs got their first victory of the season in the same place they earned their first win of a magical 2025-26 campaign.
The American Airlines Center - and particularly the Dallas Mavericks - have been good to them the past two Octobers.
Victor Wembanyama scored 23 points and Dylan Harper chipped in 22, as the Spurs overcame another sluggish start to topple a short-handed Mavs squad 122-106 on Friday.
"Thankfully," Harper said, "we got a win."
The night did not include 48 minutes of the prettiest basketball ever played.
Not even close.
But the Spurs overcame some early lapses to pull away for their first victory of the season after an 0-2 start.
With it, the Spurs were able to spoil the home debut of new Dallas coach Dusty May, the former Michigan coach who earned his first NBA win a night earlier in Indiana.
Dallas played without star sophomore Cooper Flagg, who injured his shoulder against the Pacers. The Mavericks were also without All-Star guard Kyrie Irving and a handful of key reserves.
The Mavs made a game of it anyway, playing the Spurs to a 92-91 deficit early in the first quarter.
Rookie guard Sergio de Larrea led the way for the Dallas skeleton crew with 21 points. The Spurs pulled away with a 27-5 run in the fourth quarter.
De'Aaron Fox added 19 points and nine assists for the Spurs, who also got 19 points and eight assists from Stephon Castle.
Julian Champagnie contributed 12 points to lead the Spurs' bench crew, including eight during the decisive stretch of the fourth quarter.
Here are three takeaways from Friday's victory, which gives the Spurs a chance to even their early-season record in their next game Tuesday at home against Sacramento:
1. Johnson wants more, even after a win
In the postgame locker room, Spurs coach Mitch Johnson was in no mood to pat his team on the back after it finally cracked the win column.
"If you were in there, you would have thought we lost the game," Fox said.
Johnson was disappointed by the Spurs' poor offensive execution against Dallas' zone defense in the first half. He was even more perturbed by the 46 points in the paint his team allowed before intermission.
The Spurs showed signs of running away in the third quarter, building an 11-point lead, only to let off the gas and allow Dallas to make it a game again.
It wasn't until the final frame that the Spurs began to look a bit like the team that bumrushed the NBA playoffs last season.
"We've got to get back to the standard we are capable of, individually and collectively, to raise our floor," Johnson said. "Our floor right now is way too low."
How can the Spurs do that, in Johnson's estimation? Just play harder, for longer.
"Effort goes a long way," Johnson said. "As talented as these guys are, consistent effort with just a little bit of togetherness and execution can be something to grow upon and build upon. We've not been consistent enough in a lot of ways."
2. Rookie Tarris Reed ready for his moment
The Spurs' most prominent rookie did not expect to have his named called in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
Johnson called it anyway.
Reed responded with what teammate Dylan Harper called "probably the best three minutes anybody played."
The Connecticut product played a little more than half the quarter, pulling down three rebounds, including two on the offensive end.
He also scored his first official NBA points on a lob pass from Devin Vassell with 10:39 to play.
"I didn't think I was going to get in," Reed said of his first meaningful NBA minutes. "I just tried to stay ready and prepare as if I was going to play 30 minutes."
Reed's hustle proved infectious, and helped light the fuse on the eventual blowout victory.
With veteran Luke Kornet struggling a bit at the start of his second season in San Antonio, Reed could become a name to watch off the bench.
In June, the Spurs traded with Denver in order to draft the 23-year-old Reed with the No. 26 pick. Friday offered a glimpse of why.
3. Fox earning his keep, too
For all the excitement about the Spurs' two younger guards, Fox remains the Spurs' highest-paid player.
He also remains the ringleader of the team's backcourt.
The 28-year-old All-Star provided timely scoring Friday, in moments when little else seemed to be working for the Spurs. He also topped at least seven assists for the third time in as many games.
There is an argument to be made that Fox has been the Spurs' most consistent offensive player so far this season. He offered another example in Dallas.
"He's been a great professional," Johnson said of Fox. "He's been very consistent. His approach has been great all year."
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There’s more to San Antonio with the Express-News. Subscribe today for just 25¢.This article originally published at 3 Takeaways as the Spurs race past Dallas with dominant fourth quarter.