The Dallas Mavericks entered their nationally televised tilt against the New Orleans Pelicans fresh off a rousing 41-point victory against the Memphis Grizzlies, who were on the second night of a back-to-back. Bouncing back was important for Jason Kidd's squad after a crushing loss to the Phoenix Suns in their season opener, and the Mavericks appeared primed to get the upper hand on the Pelicans, especially with Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram out due to a hip contusion and a concussion, respectively.

Alas, the Mavs-Pelicans clash had all the makings of a classic trap game scenario.

The Mavs ended up losing to the Pelicans, 111-113, despite a humongous performance from Luka Doncic, who posted 37 points, 11 rebounds, and seven assists in the losing effort. After the game, Jason Kidd delivered a stern message to his team about the harsh realities of the NBA where teams don't want to relent even an inch to their opponents.

“You got to show up. You got to go take the win, and no one’s going to give you anything in this league,” Kidd said, per Callie Caplan of Dallas News.

Kidd is right. The Pelicans are a young, hungry team who pushed the Phoenix Suns to six games in the first round of last season's playoffs. The addition of CJ McCollum has elevated New Orleans a level, while Trey Murphy, the 17th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, has been spitting fireballs to begin the year, finishing with 22 points on a perfect 8-8 from the floor and 4-4 from deep in their impressive win.

Meanwhile, Jason Kidd will have to find a way to spread the shots around, what with the Mavs still being the Luka Doncic one-man show. Doncic attempted 30 shots, 13 of which were from beyond the arc, and he made only two of them. Make no mistake about it, Doncic is an incredible player, but on a night when his three-point shot isn't falling, the Mavs should be more than willing to go to Spencer Dinwiddie and new addition Christian Wood down the stretch.

Another point of concern for Mavs fans will be Wood's minutes, as, despite playing well over the first three games, he still hasn't eclipsed the 30-minute mark. Wood wasn't even on the floor for the Mavs' final possession, which ended on a Doncic brick from three.

A 1-2 start isn't the worst in the world, but the Mavs surely had higher ambitions to begin the year after an impressive run to the Western Conference Finals. With 79 games left to go, Jason Kidd will have plenty of time to figure it out.