It's hard to make any statements when you are in the Western Conference cellar, but the Mavericks at the very least on Tuesday announced that they still know how to handle themselves in a rivalry game.
With a multi-pronged attack that featured strong efforts off the bench by Dwight Powell and J.J. Barea, the Mavericks took down San Antonio 95-89, ruining the first game this season for Spurs' all-star Kawhi Leonard.
The Mavericks trailed by two going into the fourth quarter, but scored the first eight points of the period, six of them by Powell, who ended up with 12 points and 12 rebounds in just 17 minutes.