Jason Kidd explains overlooked Seth Curry shot in Mavs' In-Season Tournament win

Dallas Mavericks guard Seth Curry hit a mundane shot against the Clippers, but Jason Kidd points out its tournament impact for the Mavs

The Dallas Mavericks blew out the Los Angeles Clippers 144-126 on Friday night in an NBA In-Season-Tournament contest that had Mavs coach Jason Kidd smiling.

After the game, Kidd explained to reporters why a seemingly mundane Seth Curry shot was actually huge for the Mavs:

"Curry made a big shot for us that no one is going to talk about… it kept us up there at the 20 point margin."

– Jason Kidd on the impact that point differential could have on Group Play in the NBA In-Season Tournament 🗣️ pic.twitter.com/R5DFICwha6

— NBA (@NBA) November 11, 2023

The NBA In-Season Tournament is grouped into six groups, with the winners of each group and two wild-card teams advancing to the next round. For wild-card teams, advancement depends on best record despite not winning their group. If there are multiple teams tied, record-wise, then it gets interesting.

In the event two or more teams are tied within a group, the tie among the teams will be broken according to the following tiebreakers (in sequential order):

• Head-to-head record in the Group Stage;
• Point differential in the Group Stage (why Curry's shot was huge for the Mavs);
• Total points scored in the Group Stage;
• Regular season record from the 2022-23 NBA regular season; and
• Random drawing (in the unlikely scenario that two or more teams are still tied following the previous tiebreakers).

The Mavs lost their first tournament game to the Denver Nuggets by 11 points, so Curry hitting a big shot that stopped a Clippers run and kept them near a 20-point advantage is potentially huge for their advancement chances.

Aside from Curry's huge shot, Luka Doncic lead the way for the Mavs. Doncic finished with 44 points, six rebounds, and six assists on an astounding 17-21 shooting from the field and 6-9 from deep. Doncic now has five 40-point games against the Clippers franchise, his most against any team. His 81 percent shooting from the field is his highest field goal percentage in a game in his career as well.

Up next for the Mavs, they take on the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday.