Mavericks: 2 studs and 1 dud from win over Spurs in San Antonio

Dallas Mavericks dud in second win of season over Spurs: 1. Willie Cauley-Stein

The Mavs needed big men to step up with Kristaps Porzingis and Maxi Kleber out with injuries. Cauley-Stein has been the second unit center this season, and Dallas needed rim protection and rebounding from the seven-footer as the Spurs went small.

Trill failed to deliver on Wednesday night as he played just ten minutes. He had two rebounds, one assist, and two fouls, plus he missed his only field goal attempt as the Mavericks were outscored by 13 points during his brief time on the floor.

The off night continued a season-long trend for Willie Cauley-Stein. Coming into the Nov. 3 contest, he was averaging just 2.0 points and 3.0 rebounds in 11.6 minutes per game. The 28-year-old has yet to find his rhythm in new head coach Jason Kidd’s system.

It will be interesting to see if he remains in the rotation when the Mavericks get healthy. Kidd has options, and the Mavericks had more success playing small in the early going.

Cauley-Stein’s struggles in San Antonio opened the door for coach Kidd to go deeper into his bench, and the Hall of Fame point guard found the answer on Wednesday night by inserting Boban Marjanovic into the game.