The NBA’s longest winning run was held by the Dallas Mavericks (32-23) going into their game against the San Antonio Spurs (11-44) on Wednesday. The Mavs won 116-93, driven by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, to advance to their sixth straight winning season.

Doncic contributed 27 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists without playing again in the fourth quarter, trailing Irving’s 34 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists in 33 minutes. Daniel Gafford scored ten points and pulled down ten rebounds for a double-double. Nobody else scored in double figures during the game.

For USA TODAY Sports, Jerome Miron

Victor Wembanyama led the Spurs with 26 points, nine rebounds, five assists, and three blocks, while Malaki Branham’s 13 points were the highest of any of his teammates. Devin Vassell (11 points) and Jeremy Sochan (10 points) both had double-digit scoring performances, while Cedi Osman led the way with 19 points.

Despite needing to wear a mask due to a nasal fracture, Dereck Lively II made his competitive comeback and finished with eight points, five rebounds, and three blocks. Due to his ongoing management of a dislocated right little toe, Maxi Kleber was ruled out. Daniel Gafford was kept in the starting lineup, while Lively was only allowed to play off the bench for one minute. Dante Exum was still sidelined with bursitis in his right knee.

Midway through the first quarter, the Spurs had a 15-point advantage and all the early momentum in their favour. Before leaving the game for the first time, Wembanyama scored 12 points in the session, personally outscoring the Mavs by a two-point margin. From from point on, the game took a dramatic turn for the better as Dallas defeated San Antonio 88-68 the remainder of the way.

With 2:44 left in the first quarter, Doncic used a personal 5-0 run to get the Mavs within single digits at 30-23.

 Dallas was behind 32–25 at the start of the second quarter, but by the end of the half, they had established a strong rhythm.

Late in the second quarter, Josh Green made a catch-and-shoot 3-pointer to put the Mavs ahead. Irving’s spectacular finish through Wembanyama completed the run. Dallas outscored San Antonio 31-19, leading to a 56-51 lead at the half.

The Spurs defence frequently used double teams to contain Doncic, but Irving scored emphatically in the second quarter, adding 17 points after going scoreless in the first. By the half, Doncic had added 15 points, six assists, five rebounds, and Wembanyama had scored 20 points.

With Irving either scoring or dishing out assists on all those points, the Mavs jumped out to a 7-0 start in the second half, winning 63-51. Trailing 63-51, the Spurs called a timeout. Midway through the third quarter, Dallas had an 18-point lead thanks to a catch-and-shoot jumper by P.J. Washington. Dallas had outscored San Antonio 20-7 and had 5:43 remaining to call a timeout for the Spurs.

Doncic scored on several drives and attacked downhill to keep the Mavs at bay, giving the team a 24-point lead. At the end of the game, with Dallas leading 88-65, San Antonio was unable to mount a comeback.

Early in the fourth quarter, Irving made a step-back 3-pointer in the corner to increase the Mavs’ lead to 27 points. As a result, San Antonio requested a timeout. With 5:26 left in regulation, reserves checked into the game out of a timeout, and Dallas went on to lead by as many as 29 points before ending the contest.

The Spurs offence had a poor game, shooting 25.0 percent from beyond the arc and 36.4 percent overall. Only 33 points were scored by San Antonio in total between the second and third quarters. Dallas was never kept below the 25-point mark throughout any given time frame.

On February 22, the Mavs play the Phoenix Suns at American Airlines Centre in their first game back after the All-Star break.