SAN ANTONIO — The San Antonio Spurs dropped their season-opening game on the road against the Dallas Mavericks, 120-109.
Julian Champagnie notched 18 points, seven rebounds, three assists, one steal and two blocks, his fourth-most points in his career, to lead the Spurs. Victor Wembanyama finished with 17 points but struggled from the field, connecting on 5-18 field goals. Jeremy Sochan had 18 points, Harrison Barnes finished with 17, Stephon Castle had eight in his NBA debut and Chris Paul had three points and eight assists.
Due to injury, San Antonio was without Devin Vassell.
The Spurs are 0-1 to start the season and will next host the Houston Rockets for their home opener on Saturday night.
Here's a sample of what the teams said after the game.
SPURS
Harrison Barnes:
"I think we understood that playing with pace, especially in the first half, we were a little stagnant with the ball. Obviously, playing against big defensive teams, they're going to be able to load up and make things difficult, but I think when guys just play loose, play with confidence, trust their instincts, I think that is something as a group we're going to have to grow in to."
Chris Paul:
"I loved the fight that we showed. There are no moral victories, but we played against a team that went to the Western Conference Finals, and won, and went to the (NBA) Finals. There's a continuity that they have," said Paul. "Honestly, I'm so excited about the Spurs that I have seen and I know what is capable from our team."
Victor Wembanyama:
"I think we had some really great basketball moments and some really bad ones. None of us have really played a full game since the middle of the summer, for me, some guys six months, it makes sense. It's a struggle every player in the NBA goes through."
MAVS
Jason Kidd:
"Just throwing different bodies at him [Wembanyama], trying to give him different coverages, try to keep him as far away from the paint or the basket as we can. He's long, he's talented, and we just try to keep fresh bodies on him and give him different looks."