San Antonio Spurs center Tarris Reed Jr. (10) celebrates a Spurs basket during the second half of an NBA basketball game against the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News) Jeff McDonald Sun, October 25, 2026 at 7:55 PM UTC About Our Ads Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Just before the start of the fourth quarter Saturday in Dallas, Spurs rookie Tarris Reed Jr. heard his coach call out two words he never expected to hear.
"I'm not going to lie," Reed said. "I didn't think I was going to get in."
With the Spurs in need of a jolt against the Mavericks, coach Mitch Johnson turned to his third-string center. Reed responded with 1.21 gigawatts of hustle that helped propel the Spurs to a 122-106 win , their first of the season.
The 23-year-old Reed grabbed three rebounds, including two on the offensive end. He added his first official NBA points on a lob pass from De'Aaron Fox. He skidded across the American Airlines Center floor after a loose ball.
More importantly than that, the hyperactive Reed seemed to single-handedly shake the Spurs from their early season doldrums.
"I kept seeing the whole bench stand up (watching Reed), the guys on the court getting fired up," Johnson said. "Tarris wasn't out there shooting step-back, between his legs 3s. He was just out there playing his ass off."
Johnson said he spent most of Saturday searching for "five guys to play hard and play together."
Dallas Mavericks center Moussa Cisse (30) fights for a rebound with San Antonio Spurs center Tarris Reed Jr. (10) during the second half of an NBA basketball game at American Airlines Center on Saturday, Oct. 24, 2026, in Dallas. (Smiley N. Pool/The Dallas Morning News)
That was perhaps not surprising to those who have followed Reed from his college days at Connecticut, where hustle and physicality became his calling cards.
"That's my game," the 6-foot-10, 270-pound Reed said. "That's why San Antonio brought me here, to rebound and just be a physical presence."
The Spurs were clinging to a 92-89 lead when Johnson broke the emergency glass and summoned Reed into the game. Three minutes later, the Spurs had stretched their advantage to 12 and seized control.
"That's probably the best three minutes anybody played," guard Dylan Harper said.
"Three very important minutes," star Victor Wembanyama echoed.
Even though he did not expect to get into Saturday's game, Reed said he approached the night as if he were slated to start.
"I really prepare every game as if I'm going to play 30 minutes," Reed said. "Three minutes, 30 minutes … no matter how much I'm going to play, I'm going to be prepared."
Reed ended up playing 6 ½ minutes of the fourth quarter. He left his fingerprints all over the Spurs' first win of the season.
"His intensity shows that he understands what it takes to be on the court," Wembanyama said.
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This article originally published at How three Tarris Reed minutes gave the Spurs their first win .
Source: Sports
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