Mavs always shoot to play every game with energy and effort

Although the Dallas Mavericks are down two superstars, there are two things coach Jason Kidd acknowledged that his team can always control.

Their energy and their effort.

“We always shoot for 82 (games) with the energy and effort,” Kidd said. “That’s one of the things we talk about internally is what can you control.

“You can’t control makes and misses or minutes or attempts. But the energy and effort are the things that we’ve talked about since day one.”

The Mavs expended a lot of energy and effort on Sunday afternoon at American Airlines Center, but still came up short, losing to the Denver Nuggets, 112-101.

“We always fight in this league to stay consistent, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” Kidd said. “But to have those two things that you can control is an ongoing battle that we’ve had as coaches and players — to have energy and effort.”

While some may rightfully see injuries to the Mavs’ superstar backcourt of Luka Dončić (left calf strain) and Kyrie Irving (lumbar back sprain) as a detriment, Kidd sees it as a chance for others to step up and put their energy and effort on full display.

“With injuries, you give others the opportunity to show the energy and effort that they can display,” Kidd said. “As much as injuries or an illness can be a negative, it’s a positive, because right now you can see our team is playing together and we don’t have to rely on one or the other two stars to carry that load. So, it’s kind of fun to be around.”

What wasn’t fun for the Mavs was to have just four home games – and a whopping 13 road games – from Nov. 9-Dec. 17. That could impact the energy and effort of anybody’s team.

“For whatever reason we only had four games at home over 40 days,” Kidd said. “We spent a lot of time on the road, so some of that energy could be low.”

The Mavs’ energy and effort was tested when they played in Phoenix on Dec. 27, then flew over 1,000 miles to get to Portland, where they played the Trail Blazers on Dec. 28. The Mavs defeated the Suns, 98-89, but lost to the Blazers, 126-122.

“The group — right now we’re short-handed – understands that they can control both things,  energy and effort,” Kidd said. “And the group is playing at a very high level on both ends with the energy and effort.”

KIDD ON REGULAR SEASON AWARDS: Before Sunday’s game against Denver, Mavs coach Jason Kidd was asked if it was fair for NBA players to be ineligible for regular season awards if they only play 64 games or fewer during the 82-game season.

“Yeah, it’s fair because the league made it a rule,” Kidd said. “So, we’ll play by the rules.”

NBA rules state that a player must participate in at least 65 games to be eligible for an individual award such as the Most Valuable Player, All-NBA, etc. Mavs guard Luka Dončić (left calf strain) has played in just 22 of the team’s possible 39 games.

And since the Mavs only have 43 games remaining, Dončić would have to play in all of those games to be eligible for any of this season’s regular season awards. However, he has missed the last nine games and the Mavs said he will be re-evaluated on Jan. 27 following an injury that occurred Dec. 25 against Minnesota.

“Unfortunately, he is ineligible to win the MVP, but it’s a team sport and we need him back to win the championship,” Kidd said. “So, understanding that individual awards will come, but we’re playing to win a championship and hopefully we can get him back soon.”

Dončić was named first-team All-NBA the past five seasons, was the league’s scoring champion last year and finished third in last season’s MVP race.

KID REPORTER . . . AND KIDD: Neeraj Shenoy, the Mavs’ Kid Reporter for Sunday’s Mavs-Nuggets game, threw a couple of curveball questions in coach Jason Kidd’s direction.

First, Shenoy asked Kidd how he shows kindness to his players and to his coaching staff.

“Minutes,” was Kidd’s answer in regards to him showing kindness to his players. He added that he shows kindness to his coaching staff by listening to their ideas.

“For coaches, they have a lot of great ideas,” Kidd said. “I listen to them all and I try to use them all, so I think that’s a sign of kindness.”

Shenoy then asked Kidd how he coaches his players and gets them to listen to him. That drew laughter from the media on hand.

“I think there’s a lot of trust between myself and the players,” Kidd said. “I’ve always told them the truth and will continue to keep telling them the truth.

“And then I ask them to do two things – play with energy and effort. That’s what we judge them on. I think they listen 99.9 percent of the time.”

Shenoy, who is just seven years old, said he would like to one day be a sports writer. He also said he enjoyed meeting Kidd.

“I like asking some questions to Jason Kidd,” Shenoy said. “He’s one of my favorite coaches in the NBA.”

BRIEFLY: Nuggets center Nikola Jokic has won the league’s Most Valuable Player award in three of the past four years, and a case can be made that he’ll win it again this season. “The stats will tell you it’s the best we’ve ever seen him — the numbers he’s putting up,” Nuggets coach Michael Malone said. “Some of his (stats this season are) career-best numbers, and if it’s not his career-best, he’s second in this (category) in his career.” Jokic is averaging 31.6 points, 13 rebounds, a career-high 9.9 assists and a career-high 1.8 steals, and also shooting a career-best 47.7 percent from beyond the three-point arc. “If you go back to the commercials between Larry Bird and Magic Johnson back in the 80s, you hear stories of both of those guys every summer saying, ‘Well, I’m going to come back with something new to my game,’ “ Malone said. “For Nikola, he’s shooting 48 from three and being a volume three-point shooter. Well, now you’re adding the most efficient post-up player in the game, one of the greatest playmakers in the game, and a guy that is lethal from three-point range. The numbers don’t define greatest for me. It’s a way to describe him. But I think his impact, his intelligence and his ability to make everyone around him better is the same as it’s always been. It’s just unique.” . . . Kidd reiterated the obvious comparison between Mavs center Dereck Lively II and former Mavs center Tyson Chandler, who is working with both Daniel Gafford and Lively on several aspects of the NBA game from a big man’s perspective. “That’s a great comparison,” Kidd said. “Tyson came (to the NBA) out of high school in (2001). Just understand when you come in as a center, to have that experience to win a championship, to work (is great). Tyson likes to work. Even today he’s always in the gym working. To have a mentor like that around for D-Live and Gafford is special.” Chandler was a key player for the Mavs when they captured the 2011 NBA title . . . Malone on playing consecutive games in Dallas: “On one end you like the fact that you’re playing two games in the same city, so it’s taking out some flights, which you appreciate. I was hoping Dallas would be a little bit warmer. But I do like the fact that when we’re here it’s like a mini-playoff series. You get a chance to play them twice. And after the game you’re going back to the hotel, you get a good meal and you get a practice (Monday). Any time you can limit the travel and the flights and the late nights, that’s definitely going to be a benefit.”

X: @DwainPrice