Anthony Davis didn’t need to look at the box score to know what went wrong. The Dallas Mavericks’ defense broke down, the offense stalled, and their composure faded during a 125-92 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on opening night.
The stat sheet only confirmed it — 68 points allowed in the paint, 31 on the break, and a rhythm that never came together on either end.
“Our defense was nonexistent,” Davis said after the game. “Our transition defense was terrible. We fouled way too much — especially in the second quarter — and they scored 30 in transition. We’re not going to win like that. We’ll learn from it and move forward.”
For Davis, who finished with 22 points and 13 rebounds, the message wasn’t about panic. It was about accountability.
“I told the guys after the game — it’s one of 82. Stay even-keeled,” he said. “We don’t want to lose, but we weren’t going to go 82-0. The way we lost was disappointing, but everything is correctable. A lot of self-inflicted wounds. We’ll watch film, clean it up, and get ready for Friday.”
Ball Movement and Trust
Dallas shot just 37.3% from the field and recorded only 17 assists as the ball often stuck in isolation. Davis said that stagnation carried over into defensive effort.
“The ball wasn’t moving,” Davis said. “We were playing a lot of isolation basketball, and we’re not going to win that way. We’ve got guys who can do it, but that’s not how we want to play. When shots aren’t falling, we’ve got to move the ball side to side and get good looks. I was part of that problem tonight. We’ll clean it up.”
Head coach Jason Kidd agreed, calling for quicker decision-making and more purpose in the half court.
“We didn’t have trouble — we just didn’t pass the ball,” Kidd said. “That’s an easy fix — just make a play for a teammate.”
Kidd added that ball movement will be key when the Mavericks host the Washington Wizards on Friday night.
“We’ve got to get in a flow,” he said. “We fouled too much last night. So defensively and offensively, we have to make plays for one another.”
Foul Trouble and Physicality
Early foul trouble threw Dallas’ rotations off rhythm. Dereck Lively II was forced to the bench in the first quarter, and the Spurs took advantage.
“Just being in early foul trouble kind of hurt us,” forward P.J. Washington said. “They got into a rhythm, and we couldn’t get our pace or flow on offense or defense. That obviously hurt us. The good thing is we’ve got a lot to learn from, a lot of film to watch, and it’s only Game 1.”
Kidd echoed that physicality must be consistent from tip-off to final buzzer.
“San Antonio was physical, but they were consistently physical,” he said. “We had spurts of being physical. We have to be better at that if we want to be successful.”
Max Christie added that the team’s defense broke down because they didn’t communicate well enough.
“We need to cover for one another better and make those guys uncomfortable,” he said. “We let Wemby do whatever he wanted, and it hurt us. We talked about that — trusting each other, competing harder together on defense. That was definitely emphasized.”
Leadership and Accountability
Davis’ postgame comments reflected the kind of leadership the Mavericks envisioned when they acquired him — direct, composed, and demanding. He has leaned into that role, balancing accountability with reassurance.
“You can feel upset and angry, but tomorrow’s a new day,” Davis said. “Whether you lose by 70 or win by 70, it’s still one game.”
That perspective resonated throughout the locker room, especially with younger players like Cooper Flagg, who said Davis’ voice carried weight in setting the tone for what comes next.
“It’s early,” Flagg said. “We’ve got to keep working on our flow and trust. We’re going to get there.”
For Davis, improvement starts with trust — in the system, in the spacing, and in each other.
“Move the basketball,” he said. “All of us are 6’8” and up — we’ll have mismatches. We’ve just got to move it, make good shots into great shots. Cooper can run the point, P.J. can, I can — whoever. We’ve just got to trust each other, make the right play, and the ball will find the open guy.”
Next Up: Washington
The Mavericks return home Friday night against a Wizards team led by veterans Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum. Kidd said the focus will be on preventing second-chance opportunities and reestablishing defensive communication.
“We’ll be better,” Davis said. “It’s Game 1 — we know what needs to be fixed. Everything that went wrong is stuff we can control. Now it’s about doing it.”
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