Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd addressed his team’s performance after Tuesday’s 116-103 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at the Intuit Dome. “We didn’t get off to the start we wanted… we had some good looks that just didn’t go down. The group kept fighting,” Kidd said.
Kidd highlighted Marvin Bagley III’s return from injury, noting, “I thought he was really good tonight. I thought his energy and he was one of the few that were scoring there. Him and Coop was the only ones that had scored for us.” Bagley finished with 21 points and nine rebounds off the bench.
Rookie Cooper Flagg led the Mavericks with 25 points, though Kidd acknowledged his shooting struggles. “Some of the floaters that he has had the opportunity to make just were on the rim and fell off tonight. But again, he kept attacking,” Kidd said.
The coach praised Ryan Nembhard’s contribution from the bench. “Ryan was someone who attacked, looked for other guys to set the table, and also looked for his chance to score. I thought he was really good tonight,” Kidd added.
Despite poor shooting, Kidd stressed the team’s ball-handling progress. “We’re taking care of the ball at a high level and we’re getting a lot of good looks. Different group out there… next man up, and again we created a lot of good looks offensively,” he said.
Kidd also addressed defensive adjustments after allowing the Clippers a fast start. “We were cautious putting a little pressure on ourselves to make a shot… I thought the group fought in the second quarter and you could see the fight in the third,” he said. He singled out Kawhi Leonard, who scored 34 points, saying, “Kawhi is Kawhi… he can score in bunches and tonight he did that.”
Regarding injuries and upcoming games, Kidd confirmed Naji Marshall left with a hip contusion. “We’ll see how he feels tomorrow… next man up mentality… plenty of minutes for a lot of others,” he said, looking ahead to Wednesday’s visit to the Phoenix Suns.
