Kidd: Mavs ‘can make a run for a championship’

NEW YORK – Jason Kidd was asked Thursday night in New York’s Madison Square Garden if his team could score their way back to the Western Conference Finals, and the Dallas Mavericks’ coach had a blunt answer.

“We have to score the ball,” Kidd said. “Our offense helps our defense, and it also gives us energy defensively.

“We’re going to have to play defense. We know that there’s a couple of guys that (opponents are) going to pick on defensively that we’ve got to help, but they have to participate, too. Yeah, I think we’re a team that can make a run for a championship.”

Thursday’s trades that brought center P.J. Washington and power forward Daniel Gafford certainly was a huge boost to the Mavs’ championship aspiration. But Kidd also knows the healthier his team is, the better their chances are of advancing deep into the playoffs.

“I think it’s going have to start with health,” Kidd said. “You don’t know what you have unless everyone’s healthy.

“On paper we have guys who can put the ball in the basket at a high rate. We’ve got to get better defensively, which we are. Our team has been unhealthy. We’re trying to just keep this thing taped together until we can get healthy.”

The Mavs had everything taped together enough to defeat the New York Knicks on Thursday, 122-108. It was a game which ended with the Mavs – along with wins Monday in Philadelphia and Tuesday in Brooklyn — sweeping this three-game road trip.

It was the first sweep of a road trip consisting of at least three games by the Mavs since Nov. 29-Dec. 3, 2019. And the victories are coming even easier whenever Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving are on the floor together flashing their superstar basketball legacy.

“It’s great to have both of them when you talk (about) what Luka and Kai can do,” Kidd said. “To have two playmakers, two quarterbacks, it makes the game easier. As a coach or as a teammate, understanding that their basketball IQ is extremely high, they’re going to make the right play.”

Dončić and Irving also probably have players and coaches experiencing some sleepless nights prior to games against the Mavs.

“They put a lot of pressure on the defense,” Kidd said. “Luka is the most trapped player in the league, and then when you have another playmaker like Kai on the floor with him it only makes the game easier for the other guys. It creates open shots (and) advantage basketball we’ve seen since preseason.

“We’re pretty good at it at times. We want to be consistent, but I think it’s great to have two quarterbacks on the floor. Especially with six minutes left in the game with both guys being able to create their own shots, but also being able to draw a double-team and then being able to play out of that.”

Here are the three takeaways from the Mavs’ 14-point win over the Knicks.

DONČIĆ BIT THE BIG APPLE: Luka Dončić took a large bite out of the big apple with another sterling performance inside what has been dubbed “the world’s greatest arena.” Dončić wowed the Madison Square Garden sellout crowd with 39 points, eight rebounds, 11 assists and four steals. He

was 13-of-24 from the field, including 7-of-14 from three-point land. And in the fourth quarter Dončić was 5-for-5 from the field – 4-of-4 from downtown – and tallied 15 points. Enough said.

HARDAWAY REMEMBERS THE TIMES: Just in case they forgot, Tim Hardaway Jr. gave Knicks’ fans something to remember him by. The former Knick came off the bench to pour in 19 points in 30 minutes. Hardaway converted five of his 10 shots from beyond the three-point arc, and overall was 7-of-14 from the field. The Knicks selected Hardaway with the 24^th overall pick of the 2013 NBA Draft. He stayed there through the 2014-15 season, then returned to play for the Knicks again from 2017-19 until they traded him on Jan. 31, 2019 to the Mavs in that blockbuster deal that also sent Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas.

JONES GOT HIS GROOVE BACK: Derrick Jones Jr. waved goodbye to his shooting slump on Thursday. In the midst of drilling some key buckets, Jones tallied 18 points on 5-of-7 shots. He also was 7-of-7 from the free throw line and added six rebounds. The performance from Jones was in stark contrast from his previous four games when Jones collectively scored just 17 points on 7-of-17 shots.

X: @DwainPrice