SAN ANTONIO – The San Antonio Spurs issued more than 200 media credentials for outlets representing as many as eight countries for Wednesday’s opening night at Frost Bank Center.

Welcome to Game 1 of the Victor Wembanyama Experience.

Too bad Luka Donic ruined it with a 33-point triple-double before a sellout crowd of 18,947 to lead a Dallas Mavericks’ 126-119 victory.

Here are five takeaways from the matchup.

1. Don’t leave Luka Doncic off your MVP watch list

Doncic dominated with his 57th career triple-double. He racked up 17 points in the second half, including a dagger step-back 3 with 30.6 seconds left to finish the night’s scoring.

Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored 20 of Dallas’ 30 fourth-quarter points.

In 16 games last season, the duo combined for 68.8 points, averaging 27.7 minutes on the floor together. Doncic, a four-time All-Star, now ranks as the third player in NBA history behind Oscar Robertson (twice) and Giannis Antetokounmpo to notch a 30-point triple-double in a season opener.

The Mavericks listed Doncic as questionable heading into this one due to a left calf sprain suffered October 9 during their preseason trip to Madrid. The 24-year-old participated in two workout sessions heading into the matchup at San Antonio.

Yet throughout the game Doncic clearly favored the sore calf.

Even in the postgame locker room, the four-time All-Star walked with a slight limp. Dallas hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Friday (8:30 ET, NBA League Pass), so it’s worth keeping an eye on the point guard’s potential availability.

2. Wembanyama’s 1st outing didn’t fill Spurs footsteps

Foul trouble sullied the most anticipated Spurs debut since David Robinson. Why Robinson? Well, the Admiral debuted Nov. 4, 1989, as a 24-year-old, two years of naval service after the club drafted him No. 1 in 1987.

Tim Duncan debuted at age 21 on the way to a first-ballot Hall of Fame career.

Both legendary bigs earned All-Star nods as rookies.

Despite the rough debut, Wembanyama might await a similar fate.

Here’s how Robinson and Tim Duncan fared in their debuts:

• Nov. 4, 1989: Robinson scored 23 points on 6-for-11 shooting with 17 rebounds and three blocks in a 106-98 win against the Los Angeles Lakers.
• Oct. 31, 1997: Duncan shot 6-for-9 from the floor for 15 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked two shots in a 107-96 road victory at Denver.

Wembanyama showed promising signs of resilience after foul trouble limited him to 23 minutes on the floor. After picking up foul No. 5 26 seconds into the final frame, Wembanyama re-entered with 7:12 left.

Victor Wembanyama in his NBA debut:

– 15 PTS (9 in Q4)
– 5 REB
– 67% FG

Welcome to the Association 💪 #KiaTipOff23 pic.twitter.com/eFWYCoBmy6

— NBA (@NBA) October 26, 2023

He impressed coach Gregg Popovich and his teammates by reeling off nine points in 3:17 with the game still on the line.

3. Mavs creative prep pays off in neutralizing Wembanyama

Dallas showcased an outside-the-box approach in preparing for Wembanyama’s devastating shot-blocking ability.

Assistant coach God Shammgod played the role of the Spurs rookie in practices leading into this matchup, running around contesting shots along the perimeter wearing padded paddles on his arms to simulate the Frenchman’s massive wingspan.

Did it work? Sure seems like it, considering Wembanyama finished with only one block. But don’t discount the foul trouble the Spurs rookie experienced.

“The things he does for that length, it’s unbelievable the way he moves, handles the ball, shoots and obviously the blocking,” Doncic said. “I’ve been watching. He’s an amazing player.”

It’s worth noting that Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. averaged a league-high three blocks and a steal last season on the way to capturing 2022-23 Kia Defensive Player of the Year. Wembanyama produced similar numbers in the preseason (2.8 blocks, 1 steal).

4. Spurs tall ball starting 5

San Antonio trotted out its tall-ball starting five once again: Jeremy Sochan at point guard, Devin Vassell at shooting guard, Keldon Johnson at small forward, Wembanyama at the four and Zach Collins at center.

Yet Dallas managed to outscore San Antonio 56-46 in the paint.

That’s not to say the Spurs’ starting group struggled. After all, they did rack up 43 points in the opening quarter, which ranks as more scoring in any single quarter the club played all of last season.

Popovich wants to continue experimenting with that group because of its versatility and defensive ability. Every player in that lineup can bring the ball up the floor. That enables the Spurs to get into sets quickly to initiate offense. That lineup’s length and athleticism makes it easy to get out into transition.

But there’s one concern to keep an eye on. With no traditional point guard in the tall-ball lineup, San Antonio will likely struggle to initiate offense against teams that can consistently set their defenses.

5. Dereck Lively II’s days off the bench likely over

Lively won the battle of first-year players against Wembanyama, coming off the bench for the Mavericks to contribute 16 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 7-for-8 from the field.

The No. 12 overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, Lively scored 10 of his points in the third quarter, and consistently showed potential as a deadly pick-and-roll partner for Doncic and Irving.

The 19-year-old also flashed grit and tenacity on the defensive end, too.

Proud of his rook 🤞@luka7doncic // #MFFL pic.twitter.com/2qFhgH0Dlz

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) October 26, 2023

Doncic was so impressed with the performance, he dropped an accidental curse word while praising Lively during his postgame interview.

So, while Wembanyama received most of the hype, Lively brought the fight for a group of Mavericks reserves that outscored San Antonio’s bench 47-37. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the bench unit with 17 points.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd even remarked that it won’t be long before Lively joins the Mavs’ starting group.

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Michael C. Wright is a senior writer for NBA.com. You can e-mail him here, find his archive here and follow him on Twitter.

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