Kidd certain Lively will get much better with age

Mavericks coach Jason Kidd didn’t mince words Sunday when he was asked what are the biggest challenges on defense for

center Dereck Lively II this early into his rookie season.

“He’s just young,” Kidd said. “He’s got to go through it.

“This is the NBA. It’s not college. He just has to go through it.”

Lively is averaging 8.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks in 24.5 minutes per game. The 19-year old had six points and nine rebounds during Sunday’s 129-113 loss to the Sacramento Kings.

The Mavs have been very pleased with what they’ve gotten from Lively. In short, in 13 of the games he’s played this season, Lively has nine or more rebounds in seven of those games and has been making steady improvements in protecting the paint.

“The more minutes that he’s on the floor, he’ll get better,” Kidd said. “Not today, but in a couple months he’ll understand what he has to do.

“But he’s giving everything he has. We’ve got to continue to stay positive, and he’s going to get better.”

Here are the three takeaways from the 16-point loss to the Kings.

SECOND-CHANCE POINTS WERE PIVOTAL: The ball either bounced the Kings’ way, or they got good position and beat the Mavs to the offensive boards. Either way, Sacramento wound up outscoring the Mavs on second-chance, 22-6. And as the final seconds ticked away, the final deficit in the game was 16 points. The Kings won the rebounding battle, 48-40, including 14-11 on the offensive boards.

DONCIC MOVING UP THE 20-POINT CHARTS: In addition to his 25 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, Luka Doncic was 3-of-7 on three-point attempts. Doncic has 12 games this season where he’s scored 20 or more points. That ties him with Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Nikola Jokic for second in the NBA, and trails only Joel Embiid, who has 13 such games.

SABONIS/FOX WERE DIFFERENCE-MAKERS: Kings All-Stars Domantas and De’Aaron Fox combined to score 62 points, grab 17 rebounds and distribute 13 assists as Sacramento won for the sixth straight game. Sabonis finished with 32 points, 13 rebounds and six assists, and Fox contributed 30 points, four boards and seven assists.

X: @DwainPrice