The Dallas Mavericks will host the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. It projects to be a competitive affair as Dallas looks to keep their six-game winning streak alive. One of the primary challenges for the Mavs will be finding a way to contain Kevin Durant. Jason Kidd addressed the Mavs' Durant gameplan on Wednesday after practice.
“KD’s one of the best players to play the game,” Kidd said. “He’s seen every defense. Just try to make it tough… He can shoot over you, he can put it on the floor, he can pass it. So you just try to make it tough. You can’t give him any easy ones. If you do, he’s going to hurt you.
“But he also knows how to use his teammates so with Book (Devin Booker) and (Bradley) Beal over there they cause a problem. They’re one of the best offensive teams in the league. So tomorrow’s a great test for us.”
Of course, there is no perfect solution for playing against Kevin Durant. His size and athleticism combined with his shooting and playmaking ability make him one of the most difficult players in the NBA to guard. The Mavericks' plan is to try to make things “tough” on him, but that's much easier said than done.
Kevin Durant's greatness
Durant, 35, is still playing at an elite level. He is currently averaging 28.2 points per game on 53.8 percent field goal and 44.3 percent three-point shooting. He's also averaging 6.6 rebounds and 5.7 assists per outing.
Yet, Durant's greatness is sometimes overlooked. The Mavericks will have a difficult time trying to guard KD on Thursday.
However, battling the Suns also gives Dallas a “great test”, as Kidd mentioned.
Suns clash will be “great test” for Mavericks
The Mavericks acquired Daniel Gafford and PJ Washington Jr. prior to the NBA trade deadline. Adding Gafford and Washington was a move that Dallas hoped would help them both on defense and in the rebounding department while adding more offensive firepower as well.
So far, so good, as the Mavericks' new players have performed well early in their Dallas careers. It will be interesting to see how Gafford and Washington's presences of the floor help the Mavs against a talented offensive team like the Suns.
In the end, Jason Kidd knows that Thursday's game is important. He also understands that it's just one game and it won't make-or-break the season regardless of the outcome.
“It's one of 82,” Kidd said. “It's the one after the break… We can learn from winning and we can learn from losing. After that we head east, so to put too much on one game this early… We know how important this game is. All the games are important. But it's not the end of the season if we don't get the W.”
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the Mavericks will host Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, and the Suns on Thursday night at 7:30 PM EST.
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