SAN ANTONIO – If you’d have told the Mavericks before the game that they’d shoot 55 percent, including better than 40 percent from three-point land, they certainly would have taken their chances against San Antonio Wednesday night.

Unfortunately, in a defensive pillow fight, the Mavericks could not turn offensive efficiency into a victory.

The Spurs got a huge night from De’Aaron Fox and dominated the rebounding department to claim a 126-116 victory over the Mavericks at Frost Bank Center.

The Mavericks allowed the Spurs to get pretty much whatever they wanted, and paid the price for it as San Antonio won the second of these two games in South Texas. The Mavericks had taken Monday’s clash 133-129.

The Mavericks were going for the season sweep of the Spurs, but had to settle for winning three of four meetings this season as they fell to 33-34.

The Mavericks had led Wednesday for much of the first half, but fell behind in the third quarter and when rookie Stephon Castle completed a three-point play with 4:38 remaining for a 115-101 San Antonio lead. The Mavericks never made a push down the stretch.

Fox finished with 32 points, 11 assists and nine rebounds, while Keldon Johnson had 18 points off the bench for the Spurs, as did Jeremy Sochan.

“We were aggressive, but on the defensive end, we couldn’t stop them,” coach Jason Kidd said. “We just couldn’t get stops. It’s real simple.

“They attacked everybody. They just put their head down and drove it. Our rim protection is limited right now and we just have to do a better job and we will.”

The Mavericks got 19 points from Brandon Williams, who returned after missing Monday’s game with a calf injury. He led six Mavericks in double figures.

But defensively, there were issues. The Mavericks gave up 66 points in the paint and the Spurs shot 53 percent from the field. And their 47-32 rebounding margin gave them a big edge in shots (94-82). In addition, after the Mavericks forced eight first-quarter turnovers, the Spurs only threw it away eight more times in the final three frames.

The Mavericks actually served notice early that they weren’t going to go away without a battle. A 22-4 rush that crossed into the second quarter landed the Mavericks a 31-20 advantage and they kept the hammer down through the rest of the first half until a flurry of Spurs’ three-pointers at the end left the Mavericks trailing 64-62 at the half.

Neither team could stop the other, obviously.

The injury list for the Mavericks remained long: While Williams returned, still out were Anthony Davis, Daniel Gafford, Jaden Hardy, Dereck Lively II, Kyrie Irving, Kai Jones, O-Max Prosper and P.J. Washington.

However, Washington was upgraded to questionable for Wednesday’s game although he ultimately was ruled out.

“It’s good,” coach Jason Kidd said. “Hopefully he has a couple more good days here and he can get back to playing.”

The Mavericks haven’t had any real practice time, partly because of the busy slate of games and also because there simply are not enough healthy players to have scrimmages.

But the preparation for game hasn’t changed all that much, Kidd said.

“Nothing’s changed, just the last names,” he said. “The ball has to touch the paint and something good happens in this league. And that’s what we’re doing. We’re driving it. We’re 6-8 and (smaller), so the ability to have the ball touch the paint, catch and shoot or redrive is something that this league does at a high level and that’s what we’re going.

“As much as you look at the Bostons of the world shooting 50 threes, for us, it’s about taking the right shot and we’ve done that since training camp. And we continue to do that 66 games in. If we’re wide-open, if we turn it down, can we get a better one. But the ball has to touch the paint and that’s what the guys are doing.”

Briefly: Spurs’ acting head coach Mitch Johnson said that 7-3 Victor Wembanyama, the Spurs’ All-Star center who is out for the remainder of the season with blood clot complications in his shoulder, is staying engaged with the team. “Wishing he could be out there,” Johnson said of Wembanyama’s attitude. “Anytime he can interact with his teammates and you see him on the bench, very engaged, talking to people – doing everything he can other than throw a jersey on, so it’s awesome to have him around.” . . . The Mavericks will head to Houston where they will play the Rockets on Friday to wrap up this three-game trip.

X: @ESefko