Theo Pinson has career night in Mavs' regular season finale
Former Tar Heel Theo Pinson was given starter minutes and put up starter numbers on Sunday.
With the Dallas Mavericks in shutdown mode without stars Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving, Pinson stepped in and recorded his first career triple double in a 138-117 loss to the Spurs.
The Greensboro, North Carolina native recorded career-highs in points (23), rebounds (13) and assists (12). He shot 50 percent from the field and made five three pointers, tying Davis Bertans for the game-high.
Pinson has played the majority of his time in the NBA as a reserve player, but he saw the court more often this season, averaging 8.1 minutes per game (the most since the 2019-20 season) and playing a career-high 40 games this year. In all 11 games when he played at least 10 minutes this season, he averaged 6.7 points.
Pinson played four years at UNC, and was a key part of the 2017 national championship team. He had his best individual season with the program in the 2017-18 season, averaging 10.3 points, 5.1 assists and 6.5 rebounds as a senior.
He went undrafted in 2018, joined the Nets' summer league team that year and started his professional career in Brooklyn on a two-way contract. Pinson made the 2019 NBA G League All-Rookie team, and after making a stop with the Knicks, he landed in the Mavericks' organization where he has been since 2021.
Will his play on Sunday earn him more minutes next season?
