Back in training camp, Jason Kidd and several of his players emphasized how important it would be to get off to a faster start than they have in recent seasons.
They didn’t want to put themselves behind any 8-balls that would require leapfrogging a bunch of teams for playoff positioning later in the season.
After Monday’s 132-108 blowout of the Portland Trail Blazers, the Mavericks can look at their 19-10 record and smile about the way they have taken care of business as the season reaches Christmas Day on Wednesday.
But they won’t smile too much. There’s too much season left to get happy about any situation.
“We’re in a good seat, but still a long way to go,” coach Jason Kidd said. “A lot of basketball to be played for us to get better. We believe we’ve done pretty well of late. But we can’t relax. The West is too tough. We’re not satisfied yet.
We always want to try to win all the games. That first home stand didn’t go the way we thought, but we learned from it and I think the group responded in a positive way through illness and injuries.”
The Mavericks endured a four-game losing streak in November and lived to tell about it. They have won 14 of 17 games since then.
The latest success came as Luka Dončić returned after missing two games with a left heel contusion. The superstar point guard did not have a vintage statistical night, although he was pretty good by normal human standards.
He finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and seven assist, punctuated with a step-back three-pointer with 10 minutes to go that put the Mavericks up 110-80.
It was good to be back for Luka, but also nice to be looking at the Western Conference from a good seat in the standings.
“I think we’re in a great position,” Luka said of the Mavericks’ pre-Christmas record. “I missed games, people missed games. But I think we’re in a great spot. We got a lot of work to do, but in a great spot.”
While his presence was a joy to see for the Mavericks, it also was merely a kick-starter to another game in which the Mavericks spread the wealth around. Daniel Gafford had a stellar game in the paint, where the Mavericks dominated, with 23 points, making all seven of his shots from the field. He also got to the free-throw line 14 times, making nine of them. Kyrie Irving chipped in with 20 points.
“I feel like I’m on top of the world,” Gafford said of his night, which included strong play during a 40-point third quarter for the Mavericks. “I’m like a kid in a candy score especially when I get an opportunity to score and get an and-one. It gives me a chance to yell and get the blood flowing, too.”
Gafford, who said he couldn’t remember ever having 14 free throws in any game, echoed Kidd’s sentiment that the Mavericks have handled business well so far, but it only sets the table for what’s to come.
“We’ve had lapses when we’ve let the negativity sink in, but we found ways to get through that and stay as a team and deal with adversity,” the 6-10 center said. “There’s going to be obstacles in the way when you’re trying to get back to where we were last year.
“Every game is not going to be perfect, but the mindset is to be as consistent as we possibly can and have fun with the game. If you have fun with it, there’s a lot of positivity that rolls through the team and it’s like a domino effect.
The Mavericks have put themselves in a wonderful spot in the Western Conference as the schedule reaches the meat of the season. They are solidly in fourth position in the Western Conference and just a game behind Houston for third.
It’s a two game improvement over where they were last season after 29 games and a whopping five games ahead of the 14-15 mark they had through 29 games in 2022, when they rallied to reach the Western Conference finals.
So, yes, they have taken care of business so far at a better rate than in recent seasons. And they know that banking wins in December can make life a lot easier in April.
And they are getting healthier. Luka returned and Jaden Hardy (ankle sprain) will be next to watch for a return from the injury report.
“Now, when you get healthy, there’s going to be times when guys don’t get those minutes that they had in the past,” Kidd said. “So can we continue to keep cheering, continue to keep working and the group in that locker room will continue to do that.”
They improved to 2-1 on this home stand that concludes Christmas Day against Minnesota.
The Blazers fell to 9-20 in a game that was much different than the 137-131 Mavericks’ win in Portland on Dec. 1, which was a highlight film of offensive excellence.
The Mavericks actually turned loose their defense at times after they sent the Blazers to the free-throw line 12 times in the opening quarter.
Portland didn’t get back to the stripe until the final minute of the third quarter. By then, the Mavericks were up 99-73 and the fourth quarter was going to be a fine time to give the heavy lifters an early Christmas present with some extra rest as deep reserves got an extended run in the last nine minutes.
X: @ESefko
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