Spurs defeat Mavs

Aldridge has 32 points, Popovich gets milestone in 97-91 win

DALLAS—LaMarcus Aldridge scored a season-high 32 points in his hometown and the San Antonio Spurs beat the Dallas Mavericks 97-91 on Tuesday night.

Gregg Popovich became the fastest NBA coach to 500 road wins. He got there in 835 away games, 41 fewer than Pat Riley.

Aldridge, a product of Dallas’ Seagoville High School, scored eight points during a decisive stretch of the fourth quarter. Patty Mills added a season-high 19 points for the Spurs.

Rookie Dennis Smith Jr. led Dallas with a career-high 27 points, and J.J. Barea and Harrison Barnes had 16 each. The Mavericks are 2-13 for the second straight season and fifth time overall.

Just like in a loss to Cleveland on Saturday, the Mavericks cut a double-digit second-half deficit to one point, but couldn’t gain the lead. After Dallas got within 62-61 early in the fourth, Mills hit a long 3 and a driving layup, then Aldridge scored eight of his team’s next 13 points to put the Spurs up 82-71 with 5:03 to play. Dallas never got closer than four points down the stretch.

The Spurs led by 11 during the third quarter, but Barea made back-to-back 3s and fed Salah Mejri an alley-oop pass for a layup as Dallas closed the quarter on a 9-0 run to get within 62-60.

San Antonio, which has played short-handed all season without starters Kawhi Leonard and Tony Parker, got Danny Green and Joffrey Lauvergne back from injuries. Green had four points and Lauvergne none.