Jason Kidd is not into negotiations.
He is unwilling to allow the Mavericks to get away with defensive slippage even if it comes when their offense has spiked.
The two should not be mutually exclusive.
That’s what he wants to drive home as the Mavericks have a Saturday practice in Milwaukee to get ready for their Sunday afternoon game (noon tipoff, ABC) against the defending NBA champion Bucks.
The meltdown at Washington on Friday night was the latest example, but there is no shortage of teaching points for Kidd after the last few weeks.
In their last 10 starts, the Mavericks have allowed opponents to average a whopping 112.3 points per game. In seven of those games, they have allowed 110 or more. Foes are shooting 47.6 percent and 37 percent from 3-point land.
Compare that to the first 68 games, when they allowed 103.5 points, 45.5 percent shooting and 33.5 percent from outside the arc.
Big difference. And a trend Kidd wants reversed.
How can they do it?
““Just take a couple of ass-whuppings and then you have all the ammo you need,” Kidd said. “If we want to do anything going forward, we got to play 48 minutes. That’s where we were before the All-Star break. And we’ll get back to it.”
It’s not always a bad thing for a playoff-bound team to get a wake-up call before the second season begins. The Mavericks’ offense has been as good for the past month as it’s been all season.
That’s great. But it’s not going to erase the deficiencies that have cropped up defensively.
“Our offense has gone to the moon. We’re scoring,” Kidd said. “When you believe you can score, sometimes defense will come secondary. And that’s where we’ve been. We’ve been scoring the ball and we’ve been coming back from these deficits – 15, 10, 12 (points).
“As you know, players look at W’s. Coaches look at the losses. We just have to dial in on our defense and understand what we’re capable of doing and also being able to do it for 48 minutes and we haven’t done that of late.”
With that, here’s a look back at our takeaways from Friday night’s 135-103 stinker at Washington.
PUTTING IT IN PERSPECTIVE: Yes, the Mavericks fired off a dud against the Wizards. But they are in the playoffs and still a good bet to get home-court advantage. As somebody who spent half the season at Washington, which officially is out of the playoff picture, Spencer Dinwiddie has a good handle on where the Mavericks are. “To play meaningful basketball is a part of what you want as a kid,” Dinwiddie said. “Your dream is to win a championship. Obviously, it’s not like we’re the odds-on favorite, but we’re in striking distance. We have phenomenal talent in the locker room, great chemistry, great vibe, great role definition. We’re here to play hard and try to maximize our capabilities and go as far as we can.” That’s the focus to keep in mind. Sweep the leftovers of Friday out into the breeze and let them fly away.
OLD FRIENDS: The Mavericks are doing just fine without Kristaps Porzingis and he appears to be doing just fine without them. He had 24 points and nine rebounds and there were lots of hugs and smiles after the game as the 7-3 Porzingis visited with his former teammates. He did not, however, get to commiserate with his former coach. Jason Kidd was ejected after two technical fouls in the fourth quarter. “He’s playing extremely well,” Kidd said. “I thought I was going to talk to him after the game, but I had an early exit. But he’s playing great and you can see he’s happy.”
TECH SUPPORT: It was clear after the game that Kidd has intentions of challenging the second technical foul that he was hit with by referee Tony Brothers. Similarly, Spencer Dinwiddie was a bit bewildered as to why he got his technical foul shortly before Kidd’s departure. “My tech, he said, was because he felt like I was disrespectful to him because when I got the delay of game,” Dinwiddie said. “I felt like Kristaps was on my back and so I traveled obviously. J.B. made the layup and I turned around and said: well, what is that? He said, tech.”
LOOKING AHEAD: The Milwaukee Bucks got blown out on Friday night at home by the Los Angeles Clippers. But the Bucks didn’t play Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton or Jrue Holiday. That’s 69 points, 22 rebounds and 18 assists per game that the Bucks were missing. It’s possible all three will return for the Mavericks. “When you look at Milwaukee, they’re the champs. And they’re the champs for a reason,” Kidd said. “They know how to play, know how to win. That’ll be a great test for us.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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