At 1:41, Naji Marshall’s 23-foot three erased San Antonio’s 111-108 lead and pulled Dallas even. It was the shot that turned a long comeback into a genuine chance to win. It was also the last basket the Mavericks would make.
Dallas finished a 112-111 loss against the Spurs on Wednesday at Frost Bank Center, but the game’s closing shape cannot be separated from Marshall’s fourth quarter. He scored 13 points in the period, made all three of his three-point attempts and helped revive an offense that had trailed by 19.
Then, 17 seconds after the tying shot, Marshall lost the ball on a pass that Devin Vassell intercepted.
That is not a contradiction to smooth away. Marshall was central to Dallas getting back into the game, and his late turnover became part of why the recovery stopped short.
His first two threes arrived before the comeback had fully become a contest. At 9:46, Marshall cut the Spurs’ lead to 94-87 from 25 feet. After a two-point basket at 8:45, he struck again from 26 feet at 8:17, bringing Dallas within 94-92.
Both shots came with Cooper Flagg providing the assist, and the sequence gave Dallas a perimeter answer while San Antonio’s Victor Wembanyama continued to dominate inside.
Marshall added an 11-foot pullup at 7:03. His fourth-quarter line ended at 5-for-7 from the field, part of a 9-for-12 night, and his scoring supplied the sharpest burst in Dallas’s second-half recovery. The Mavericks entered the fourth down 90-80 after San Antonio had built a 19-point advantage. By the middle of the period, they had forced the Spurs to play a one-possession game.
Other Dallas players made the comeback sturdy enough to matter. Flagg’s dunk and ensuing free throw tied the score at 100 with 6:05 left. P.J.
Washington’s three at 5:38 put the Mavericks up 103-100 for their first advantage since the opening quarter. San Antonio answered 18 seconds later when Wembanyama hit his only three of the night, and the Spurs eventually reclaimed the edge through Dylan Harper and Wembanyama.
Wembanyama’s work made every Dallas mistake more expensive. He finished with 52 points, 24 rebounds and eight blocks. At 1:49, Washington blocked Harper’s two-foot attempt, but Wembanyama gathered the loose ball and scored on a tip at 1:47. The stop was real; the possession was not finished. Marshall’s three followed, restoring the tie and giving Dallas another defensive chance.
Marshall briefly made that chance look promising. At 1:29, he blocked De’Aaron Fox’s pullup and secured the rebound. Vassell then disrupted the pass Marshall attempted at 1:24 and took possession for San Antonio.
