Home NBA Luka Doncic, Jason Kidd details slow start of Mavs that led to...

Luka Doncic, Jason Kidd details slow start of Mavs that led to Pels win

Despite the fact that the New Orleans Pelicans were missing their bright star power, the Dallas Mavericks were left in shock after failing to capitalize their Tuesday showdown.

NOLA stars Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram were listed unavailable, with defensive ace Herb Jones joining them. And on the other side, the trio of Luka Doncic, Christian Wood and Spencer Dinwiddie combined for 84 points.

But amid these numbers, Mavs took the losing jab in a close one, 113-111, as the energetic key personnel of the Pelicans stepped up when it mattered the most.

In post-game, Doncic assessed their poor slow start leading them to failure down the stretch.

“Bad defense,” said Dončić. “First quarter was bad defense. We started relaxed.”

For coach Jason Kidd, the instruction is simple: No one is going to hand them a win regardless of the circumstances.

In hindsight, they failed to seize the momentum on their side, with New Orleans missing their core pieces.

“You got to show up,” Kidd said. “You got to go take the win. No one’s going to give you anything in this league. We didn’t play well down the stretch.”

The Mavericks will look to regroup as they continue their road trip on Thursday against the Brooklyn Nets.

Exit mobile version