Head coach Mitch Johnson was not in a festive mood afterwards Spurs won their first game of the season on Saturday at Dallas, as Jeff McDonald of The San Antonio Express-News writes.
“If you were in the (locker room), you would think we lost the game,” the security guard De’Aaron Fox said.
Facing a Mavericks team that was short six players, incl Cooper Flagg and Kyrie IrvingSan Antonio scored 31 points in the first quarter, the third straight game the Spurs have scored more than 30 points in the first period, McDonald noted. They also gave up 46 points in the paint in the first half, a new franchise record for the Mavs.
Although the game was close for three quarters, the Spurs pulled away at the end with a 30-17 final frame. Johnson complained about the team’s lack of consistency and effort amid a 1-2 start to the 2026/27 season.
“Our floor is too low now“, he said.
Star center Victor Wembanyama said he didn’t expect the Spurs to play at the same level they did in the playoffs to open the season, but he also didn’t expect it to be a sluggish start, according to McDonald.
“I wouldn’t call it starting over” said Vembanyama. “But I wouldn’t call it picking up where we left off. It’s in the middle.
“It’s okay that we’re not as good as we were during the playoffs. It is not normal that things are as bad as we have been until now.”
Here’s more on Spurs:
- Starting wing Devin Vassell said after Monday’s practice that the Spurs need to “become hunters again” tweets Tom Orsborn of The San Antonio Express-News. “I think we are a little drunk on the success of last year and we have a lot of room to grow” said Vassell.So trying to just put this (last season) behind us … because we’re a new team. It’s a new season…“
- The recruit is a big man Tarris Reed Jr admits he didn’t expect to play in the fourth quarter of Saturday’s game after not hearing his name called for three quarters, but he made a big impact in the first three minutes of the final frame as the Spurs extended their lead from three to 12 points. Macdonald writes in another story. Reid’s activity during that stretch — he had three rebounds (two offensive) and a turnover — was the spark the Spurs needed. “I kept seeing the whole bench stand up (watching Reid), guys on the court getting fired up” Johnson said.Taris was gone, shooting a step back, between his legs for 3 seconds. He was just hanging out there.”
- Johnson did not provide a timeline Tobias Harris (left calf strain) to make his Spurs debut ahead of Saturday’s game, but he suggested the veteran striker may not be out for long after McDonald. “He’s progressing on the court and it’s going well” Johnson said.We are very excited to have him back soon.”