De Larrea scores 21 as Wembanyama lifts Spurs past short-handed Mavericks 122-106

A first major night for a Spanish rookie

Sergio de Larrea, a 20-year-old guard from Valladolid, scored 21 points for the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday, 24 October, more than any other player on his team. Coming off the bench, he played 33 minutes at American Airlines Center and made 9 of 15 field goals, including 3 of 4 from beyond the arc. He also added five rebounds and four assists in only his third game of the NBA season. Over his first two appearances he had played just eight minutes combined. Despite his performance, Dallas lost 122-106 to the San Antonio Spurs.

After the game, De Larrea spoke about the players he watched growing up in Spain:

“When I was young, I grew up watching videos of Sergio Rodríguez, Ricky Rubio or Calderón.”

Spurs claim first win

Victor Wembanyama finished with 23 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, and Dylan Harper added 22 points for San Antonio. De'Aaron Fox and Stephon Castle each scored 19, while Julian Champagnie (12) and Devin Vassell (11) provided bench scoring. The Spurs had opened the season with losses to Oklahoma City and Houston, and this win kept them from starting 0-3 for the first time since 2008-09. San Antonio led 68-60 at halftime and 92-89 after three quarters. Dallas erased a 14-point third-quarter lead and briefly moved ahead 85-84 before the Spurs pulled away late. The Spurs also collected 15 offensive rebounds and scored 25 second-chance points.

Victor Wembanyama23

Dylan Harper22

Sergio de Larrea21

De'Aaron Fox19

Stephon Castle19

Victor Wembanyama

23 points

Dylan Harper

22 points

Sergio de Larrea

21 points

De'Aaron Fox

19 points

Stephon Castle

19 points

Data from the article text

Dallas without its stars

Kyrie Irving sat out the second game of a back-to-back, and Cooper Flagg missed the game with a shoulder injury he suffered in Dallas's win at Indiana on Friday, 23 October. Flagg, last season's Rookie of the Year, will be reevaluated in the week of 26 October. Irving returned this season after 19 months on the sidelines with a torn ACL. Santi Aldama, the other Spaniard on the roster, is still recovering from an injury. Dallas, now 1-2, received 50 combined points from its five starters, led by P.J. Washington with 12. The Mavericks scored 46 points in the paint in the first half, a franchise high in the play-by-play era dating to 1997-98, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Other results from the night

In Philadelphia, Joel Embiid recorded 28 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists, his 10th career triple-double, as the 76ers beat the Milwaukee Bucks 127-116 at home. Jaylen Brown scored 27 on his 30th birthday, and Tyrese Maxey added 26. LeBron James did not play while managing lower-back problems. Philadelphia is 3-0, while Milwaukee fell to 0-3 despite eight players scoring in double figures. In Charlotte, Miami lost 115-110 for its third straight defeat, even after recovering from a 23-point deficit. Giannis Antetokounmpo finished with 14 points and fouled out in the fourth quarter with six fouls.

In Denver, Nikola Jokic posted the 199th triple-double of his regular-season career, with 35 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, as the Nuggets beat the New Orleans Pelicans 141-135 in overtime after overcoming a 23-point deficit. Jamal Murray scored 42 points. Jokic is ten triple-doubles short of Russell Westbrook's record of 209.

What comes next

Dallas visits Miami on Monday, 26 October, and remains outside the Western Conference play-in zone at 1-2. San Antonio hosts Sacramento on Tuesday, 27 October, looking to build on its first win. Flagg's status will be clearer after his reevaluation later in the week of 26 October.