Jason Kidd was left stunned following the Dallas Mavericks’ narrow 113-111 defeat to the New York Knicks on Wednesday at American Airlines Center. The Mavericks saw a late-game basket from Brandon Williams nullified by Landry Shamet’s charging foul, a play Kidd called a “tough call” during the postgame press conference.
The game remained tight throughout the fourth quarter, with both teams trading leads. Kidd praised his squad’s effort, noting, “We fought to get back in and we never stopped. It becomes a free throw game. They miss one, we execute… we had great opportunities, but we just couldn’t get the rebound.”
D’Angelo Russell led Dallas with 23 points, while Naji Marshall added another 23, but Kidd highlighted the importance of limiting New York’s Jalen Brunson. “He is one of the best, and you let him play one-on-one, it’s going to be a long night,” Kidd said. “The guys did a great job of taking the ball out of his hands, making someone else beat us tonight.”
Kidd also reflected on the Mavericks’ shooting struggles. “You get seven threes in the first and finish with 16,” he said. “They were making them, and I thought just the trust of being able to find the corners. We had some great looks that just didn’t go down for us.”
Despite holding the Knicks to 28% from three, New York’s sharpshooters made the difference late. Shamet hit two crucial triples in the final 1:02 and drew the charging foul on Dallas’ final possession, allowing the Knicks to escape with the victory. Kidd praised the execution leading up to that sequence, saying, “Great execution… tough call. He had a good look. They called a foul.”
Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 18 points and 14 rebounds, while Josh Hart scored 16 off the bench, complementing Brunson’s game-high 28 points. The Knicks snapped a four-game road skid and improved to 1-4 away from Madison Square Garden.
Kidd acknowledged the lessons from the loss, emphasizing the need for execution down the stretch. “We’ve been in a lot of these, and you play enough of these in 82. You go through tough losses. But you stay together, come tomorrow, come to work and find a way to get better,” he said.
Dallas now sits at 4-12, having lost five of their last six, while New York improves to 9-5. The Mavericks will return home to host New Orleans on Friday, and the Knicks travel to Orlando on Saturday, both teams looking to build on the close contest.
