Popovich Proud of Spurs Effort in Loss vs. Mavs

"I couldn't be more proud of the way we played," coach Gregg Popovich said postgame. "We had made all kinds of mistakes, but so did they (Dallas) and they want to win a championship. Our goal is to get better every game individually and team-wise."

While the Spurs were two possessions away from tying the game, the team struggled in the turnover department, committing 15 against the Mavericks' nine. San Antonio surrendered 19 points off turnovers, while Dallas gave up just 10 ... a massive difference in a six-point game.

Ultimately, the Mavericks on paper are far better than the Spurs. With a pair of future Hall-of-Fame guards in Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, the Mavs are much further along in the path to a championship than the Spurs, but the gap between the two teams didn't look far off in the loss.

The effort should give the Spurs hope that they are moving forward in the right direction.

The Spurs are back in action on Friday against the Memphis Grizzlies. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CT.