Subscribe
Follow Us
With a 5-7 record, the Dallas Mavericks are sinking deeper into the Western Conference standings. Only three teams in the West are below them: the Portland Trail Blazers (5-8), Utah Jazz (3-8) and New Orleans Pelicans (3-9). Their last loss came on the final possession when a critical mental error by Luka Doncic allowed the Utah Jazz to score an easy basket and take the lead with seconds left to play. Now on a four-game losing streak, the Mavericks have lost those games by a total of eight points. Doncic believes he knows the main reason why Dallas can't get over the hump, per The Athletic's Joe Vardon.
“We’ve (lost) four straight by basically two points, or three,” Dončic said. “There’s a lot of hope, but we’ve got to get better. We can’t get a rebound. I think that’s mostly the main reason why we are losing.”
Injuries to Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington haven't helped the Mavericks either. For a team coming off a trip to the NBA Finals last year, expectations must be met sooner rather than later.
Plenty of season left for Mavericks
A bad start can be overcome. As Doncic pointed out, the margin of victory during the Mavericks' losing streak is negligible. It's not as though Dallas is getting blown out. A big purpose of the regular season is fine-tuning the team and building toward the postseason. However, head coach Jason Kidd's cryptic comments about what's going on behind the scenes leaves some questions.
“(The players) have things that go on outside of the arena, and that’s always monitored (but) those things aren’t shared publicly,” Kidd said. “This has been an emotional week, starting in Denver, having an opportunity to win there and just the buildup of the game against Golden State with Klay. We could be a little bit more concerned of not just the buildup, but what the effects are. You know, yesterday and today, just the mental fatigue, the physical fatigue. So we’ve got to be cautious of that because we understand the league isn’t going to pause the games.
“But this has been an emotional week for everybody.”
Kidd also had harsh words for the bench after a tough loss to the Phoenix Suns.
“As deep as we are, we got to get someone to f—ing participate off the bench.”
Is there something larger at play between the locker room and Kidd? Time will tell. Sometimes, even the best coaches can lose their grip on what motivates their team.
Doncic took some heat for passing the ball instead of making the game-winning shot against the Jazz. After the game, he clarified and doubled down that the pass was the right move.
“Yeah, we believe in those shots,” Doncic said. “It's in the corner, open three, so I'll take it any time.”
The Mavericks host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday, November 16 at 8:30 p.m. EST.
