Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd pointed to turnovers and missed opportunities as key factors in Saturday’s 121-114 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. “We weren’t as secure with the ball in tonight’s game, 18 turnovers…they got 19 more shots than we did. On the road, you can’t win like that,” Kidd said.
Kidd noted the rebounding deficit as another factor. “We gave up 20 offensive rebounds. Just understand we got to be better,” he added.
The coach criticized his team’s three-point shooting, which fell to 3-of-18. “We just didn’t make them and we didn’t get enough up. To shoot 18 and only make three…we’ve got to make the ones we take and create more open looks,” Kidd said.
Discussing the late-game collapse, Kidd acknowledged defensive lapses. “We played great in the third…but we got to be able to guard the ball. We didn’t guard the ball well tonight,” he said.
Kidd praised the performance of Philadelphia’s rookies. “PJ’s good…he’s aggressive, fearless. He can shoot it, put it on the floor, get to the rim. Cooper again did his best to put us in a position to win,” he said.
The absence of Paul George and Joel Embiid placed extra responsibility on Tyrese Maxey, who scored 38 points. “That puts a lot of onus on Maxey…he’s one of the best scorers in this league,” Kidd said.
Kidd highlighted Maxey’s development over the summer. “You can tell who’s worked on their game…he was aggressive tonight, able to shoot the three, get to the rim, and also showed the floater,” Kidd noted.
The Mavericks struggled to respond during Philadelphia’s decisive fourth-quarter run. Maxey capped an 11-0 surge with a three-pointer that gave the 76ers a 115-104 lead with 6:30 remaining.
Despite Cooper Flagg and Anthony Davis each scoring 24 points, Dallas shot just 17% from three-point range, a critical factor in the loss. Kidd said, “With the turnovers, you get less shots…that’s something we got to be better with.”
The loss dropped Dallas to 11-18 on the season. Kidd concluded, “We’ve got to be more secure with the ball, better defensively, and make the shots we take. That’s the bottom line.”
Philadelphia improved to 16-11 and will host the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, while Dallas travels to New Orleans on Monday.
