SAN ANTONIO, Texas — In Jalen Brunson’s first conversation with new Mavericks coach Jason Kidd this summer, the back-up point guard made his first personal goal of the season clear:
He wanted to earn a hefty new contract next offseason, after the last year of his second-round rookie contract.
Brunson’s agent should use the last three minutes of the Mavericks’ 109-108 win over the Spurs as Exhibit A for Brunson’s value.
Brunson scored 13 points in the last 4:09 of the game, including a personal 5-0 run to break the tie at 96 in the final four minutes, a clutch fadeaway jumper with 21.2 seconds left to extend the Mavericks’ lead to 3 and two free throws with 12.6 seconds remaining to help stave off the Spurs’ late push.
So often, the Mavericks rely on Luka Doncic’s stardom and cool demeanor to close out games.
The second member of their 2018 draft class showed the same poise — and ability to take pressure and attention away from All-Star Doncic — in crunch time Wednesday.
Brunson finished with 31 points (9 of 17 shooting from the field), 10 rebounds, three assists and two steals, while Doncic added 23 points, 12 rebounds, seven assists and two steals. Tim Hardaway Jr. (23 points) and Boban Marjanovic (17) played strong supporting roles, too.
Brunson earned his second start of the season — and likely not his last — because Kristpas Porzingis missed a fifth consecutive game with lower back tightness, more than a week since the issue first started Oct. 26 in the second half against Houston
Hoping to get a definitive diagnosis and estimate for his return?
The Mavericks won’t divulge much.
Kidd declined to say whether the team initially expected Porzingis’ absence to be extended or whether his increase in activity during practices and workouts since have hampered his recovery.
Kidd said Porzingis “did some work” Wednesday in San Antonio and participated in the team’s walkthrough Monday before this two-loss back to back stretch.
But he watched the Mavericks’ second consecutive win over San Antonio from the seat on the bench closest to the coaching staff, dressed in a black T-shirt and jeans.
“I go with whoever can suit up,” Kidd said. “For the medical staff, that’s a question for them in the sense of is this longer or going to be shorter? We just want him to be healthy and ready to go.
“Hopefully he feels better and Saturday [against the Celtics[ he’s ready to go. There was no timeline when this happened, so I think we just take it day by day.”
Porzingis was joined by Maxi Kleber, who will miss at least a week with a left oblique strain, and, come the second quarter, Reggie Bullock, who exited after seven minutes and one missed 3-pointer with a facial injury.
The Spurs faced a similar dilemma — center Jakob Poeltl entered the NBA’s health and safety protocol Wednesday morning after averaging almost a double-double through the first two weeks of the season — and the Mavericks capitalized late.
The Spurs led by 10 points with three minutes remaining in the third quarter, perhaps a sign of the Mavericks’ fatigue on the second night of a back to back and after playing three games in four days and five over the last seven.
But Marjanovic entered the game moments later, and with his advantage in size and offensive savvy, the Mavericks closed the period with seven consecutive points.
Cue Brunson.
The 25 year old made all five of his field goal attempts while playing all but two seconds in the final period.
His lone lapse: missing two free throws with 2.7 seconds remaining and the Mavericks’ lead down to one point, 109-108.
But moments after he walked to the bench in frustration, the Spurs’ inbound pass went errant and the Mavericks’ bench erupted in celebration as the final buzzer sounded.
