The Dallas Mavericks fell 117-90 to the Charlotte Hornets on Tuesday night at Spectrum Center, and head coach Jason Kidd pointed directly to the three-point disparity.
“Just how difficult it is to win on a night like tonight, when we’re kind of trading twos for threes, especially with how Charlotte was shooting the ball,” Kidd said postgame.
The Hornets attempted 51 shots from beyond the arc and made 20, including 12-of-21 from the bench. Dallas finished 3-of-22 from deep and shot 38% overall.
“They have shooters out there that, you know, and they got guys who can create threes and they shot 51 of them tonight,” Kidd said. “And for us, the positive, we got to the free throw line 40 something times.”
The Mavericks attempted 42 free throws and made 31, but the math never balanced. “I understand if we’re trading two for threes, that’s not going to put you in a situation to win,” Kidd added.
Dallas created 22 three-point attempts but converted only three. “We didn’t shoot the three. Well, we create 22 of them and only made three, so we have to shoot better from there,” Kidd said.
The coach also addressed Max Christie’s recent perimeter struggles after the guard went 1-of-9 from long range.
“It’s just the life of a shooter,” Kidd said. “You go through these spells of hot, cold, warm, and right now we’ve got to get him going. He’s on the cold streak right now.”
Veteran Dwight Powell provided 12 points and energy off the bench, and Kidd emphasized his impact beyond the box score.
“I think coming off the bench, he was really good for us. His energy, his effort, his voice, his teaching of trying to help the newcomers that are here,” Kidd said.
He continued: “He is, one, a great teammate, especially with everyone, but just also the newcomers of being to help them get comfortable. So we need that here on this road trip because our newcomers are going to play.”
On Daniel Gafford, who finished with 10 points and six rebounds, Kidd focused on effort during a challenging season.
“I think Gaff, again, you know, with injury, you know, understanding it hasn’t maybe been his best, but he’s out there competing each night for us and we need that, and that’s just who, his character,” Kidd said.
“He wants to help the team win and he did that tonight. Unfortunately, we just didn’t score enough points, but we’re gonna need that, you know, for the rest of the season.”
Dallas has now lost 14 of its last 16 games and sits 12th in the Western Conference at 21-40. The Mavericks travel to Orlando on Thursday, while Charlotte, now 31-31 and riding a five-game streak, visits Boston next.
