Getty Jason Kidd and Luka Doncic of the Dallas Mavericks.
Sunday was a dreadful day for the Dallas Mavericks. They watched a 27-point disappear into thin air, allowing the Los Angeles Lakers to steal a 111-108 victory on the road. One of the biggest storylines to come out of the matchup, was the weak second half performance from Dallas’ star duo of Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.
The pair combined for just 23 second-half points, knocking down just 8 of their 23 attempts from the floor, as their team’s lead evaporated.
Head coach Jason Kidd spoke to the media the day after the tough loss. He explained to reporters what his role is in a situation like that. Specifically, he touched on how he works to motivate Doncic.
“My job is to help him be better, and I don’t know [that] it’s tough love. It’s just being honest and seeing where he can be better.”
Jason Kidd, following criticism yesterday toward Luka Doncic: “My job is to help him be better, and I don’t know [that] it’s tough love. It’s just being honest and seeing where he can be better.”
Jason Kidd Slams Mavs After Embarrassing Loss to Lakers
Kidd’s tone was a bit different a day prior. He was not happy with his players, after falling to the Lakers at home.
He ripped his players during his post game press conference, calling for them to be more mature if they want to compete for a title.
“I’m not the savior here. I’m not playing. I’m watching, just like you guys,” he told the media. “As a team, we’ve got to mature. We’ve got a lot of new bodies coming back and we have to grow up if we want to win a championship. There’s no young team that’s ever won a championship, mentally or physically… For two and a half quarters we’re playing a high level on both ends, offensively and defensively. But, what the Lakers just showed us is that it’s not a race, it’s not the rabbit that wins, it’s the turtle. They worked the game. That’s what we have to get to, we have to get better at working the game, and we will.”
Mavs Jason Kidd: “I’m not the savior here. I’m not playing. I’m watching, just like you guys. As a team, we’ve got to mature.” – when asked why he didn’t call timeouts during Lakers runs, especially at end of second quarter #MFFL
(🎥: @dallasmavs)
Jarred Vanderbilt Discusses Shutting Down Mavs’ Luka Doncic
One of the driving forces behind L.A.’s comeback in Dallas was newly-acquired wing Jarred Vanderbilt. Vanderbilt put together a strong performance against the Mavs, scoring 15 points and securing 17 rebounds.
However, his most important contribution may have come on the defensive end. According to the NBA’s matchup statistics, Vanderbilt guarded Luka Doncic for 5:49 of the game, held him to 0-5 shooting, and forced him to commit three turnovers.
After the game, he shared his gameplan for slowing down the Mavs star.
“My mindset was just to make him uncomfortable. He’s a hell of a player when he’s comfortable and he can get into his rhythm and get into his zone,” Vanderbilt told reporters. “So, I was trying to disrupt that. Just picking him up, 94 (feet), just making him work. I knew throughout the course of the game he was going to get tired and get fatigued. Just bringing the ball up and down the whole court and then try and make a move after I already cut eight seconds off the clock. I knew he was going to get tired. My thing was to just get up in him and force him to drive, just be physical with him and make him uncomfortable. I think in the second half we did a good job of that without fouling.”
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Mavericks’ Jason Kidd Speaks Out After Criticism of Luka Doncic