Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has never been shy to pull the trigger on any trade he feels will help his team. He struck again Thursday, acquiring NBA assist-leader Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics for a first-round pick, guard Jameer Nelson, forward Brandan Wright and spare parts, and Rondo is expected to make his debut Saturday when the weary San Antonio Spurs visit. San Antonio is coming off consecutive triple-overtime losses after a 129-119 defeat to Portland on Friday.
Rondo will help upgrade a failed three-headed point guard split that ranked last in scoring (7.4) and 28th in assists (4.3), and he could catapult the Mavericks to the same plane as other elite teams in the Western Conference. "To be able to get a guy like Rondo, it's unbelievable," Dallas forward Chandler Parsons told 103.3 FM ESPN in Dallas. "It's not every day that you can get a point guard of his status, and the way he can pass the ball, he's a difference-maker." Rondo will try and help Dallas end a 10-game losing streak to the Spurs.
TV: 8:30 p.m. ET, KTXA (Dallas), CW35 (San Antonio)
ABOUT THE SPURS (17-10): San Antonio became the first team since the Baltimore Bullets in 1951 to play consecutive triple-overtime games, but unfortunately the Spurs lost both. After Tim Duncan scored 23 points in 48 minutes Wednesday against Memphis — his most minutes since 2008 — the 38-year-old scored 32 points in 43 minutes in Friday's loss. "I was really proud of the efforts of the whole team under the circumstances," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "Timmy in particular, was a back-to-the-future kind of deal. He was amazing."
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (19-8): Dallas has been off since disposing of Detroit 117-106 on Wednesday and are now home for five of its next six games. Parsons, in his first year with the Mavericks, scored a season-high 32 points in the win over the Pistons – his third game of 28 or more points in his last five after scoring more than 21 twice in his first 21 games. Center Tyson Chandler has 12 double-doubles this season after securing only 16 last season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Spurs F Kawhi Leonard (hand) has missed the last three games and five of seven and G Tony Parker (hamstring) has missed four straight and seven of eight.
2. San Antonio beat Dallas 101-100 in the season opener on Parker's 3-pointer with 1:07 left and a turnover by Monta Ellis and a Parsons 3-point miss.
3. The Spurs have lost three straight. They haven't lost four in a row since dropping six consecutive during the 2010-11 season.
PREDICTION: Mavericks 110, Spurs 89