SAN ANTONIO – The Naji Marshall the Dallas Mavericks are accustomed to seeing playing quality basketball was back to his old form in Wednesday’s game against the San Antonio Spurs.
In 26 minutes off the bench, Marshall was 9-of-12 from the field, scored a season-high 22 points, grabbed five rebounds and handed out three assists. He also was instrumental in the Mavs rallying from a 19-point second-half deficit to take a three-point lead before falling to the Spurs, 112-111, at Frost Bank Center.
This was Marshall’s third game back after he missed two games with an illness.
“It was beautiful – a great feeling,” Marshall said in describing his best game of the season. “I feel like I’m back helping the team. I’m there for my teammates.
“I felt like I was letting them down. I was just being sick. I’m a human. I can’t control that.”
Mavs coach Dusty May was more than happy to have Marshall back in the fold.
“Naji was very good,” May said. “He made good decisions with the ball, he was competitive, he was active on the glass. He played really, really well.”
Marshall is one of the key players in the Mavs’ rotation. They depend on him to not only score, but to be an effective and dependable defender.
In fact, it was a three-pointer by Marshall that knotted everything at 111-111 with 1:40 remaining in the game.
“I just want to win and be there for my team,” Marshall said. “So, I’m just blessed and happy to be back in my regular form.”
Marshall admits the Mavs had problems trying to contain Spurs center Victor Wembanyama, who finished with 52 points, 24 rebounds, eight blocks and seven dunks.
“That man is an alien,” Marshall said. “We all know that. We put ourselves in a funk. We gave him 23 free throws. Anybody who gets 23 free throws and makes 19, it’s going to be tough.
“Wemby is a terrific player. (He’s) 7-100, you know what I’m saying. Go in there at your own risk.”
Marshall was playing so well that, although he wasn’t in the starting lineup, he was on the floor at the end of the game during its most meaningful moments. He hopes he’ll continue to be on the floor when the game is on the line, starting with Friday’s home game against Utah.
“I’m rocking with Dusty,” Marshall said. “I’ll run through a brick wall for my team. I’ll just do anything to try to get the win.
“Thankfully, I could contribute tonight and hopefully we can carry this energy into Friday.”