What are the Mavericks worth when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are not there? But also Derek Lively II, Dante Exum, Josh Green and Maxi Kleber… The response in the middle of the 3rd quarter, with a deficit of 38 points against the Rockets! Among their neighbors, Jason Kidd's players took a big spanking, but the Dallas coach is not angry, and he prefers to encourage the young people who came into play.
“The guys did their best to try for us to win. We can say that we were reduced, but that is why we have a squad of 18 players” reacted Jason Kidd after the setback conceded to Houston. What the Mavericks coach appreciated was the good performance of his “kids” with 20 points and 6 rebounds for Olivier-Maxence Prosper and 18 points, 5 rebounds and 4 assists from the other rookie, Dexter Dennis.
Very, very clumsy frames…
“Look at the group at the end of the match, they gave their all, they played together… They did a lot of good things. This is a positive point. In basketball, when the shots don't go in, you have to find another way to win, and tonight, we weren't able to make 'saves'.” regrets Jason Kidd, betrayed by the clumsiness of certain executives with a 7 out of 42 on shots for the Hardy-Williams-Hardaway trio!
Signed on a two-way contract, Dexter Dennis has discovered life without Luka Doncic, and that changes a lot of things for his teammates.
“Luka remains Luka… He’s a truly unique talent, and he attracts a lot of attention. We are able to get the best out of it, and I think it works really well. But when he is not there, the opposing defense is different” he emphasizes. “Usually, we have a guy who attracts 10 eyes on him, and even 12 with the opposing coach. It's like everyone is focusing on him, and we're taking advantage of it. »
Express learning
While he had only accumulated 17 points in his last seven matches, Olivier-Maxence Prosper took the opportunity to show himself, and despite the final gap, he too retained the positives.
“Coming into the game, I knew I was going to have to be aggressive today with a lot of guys out. I just had to give it my all and see what happened. Today was a great learning experience for the young people,” concludes the Quebecer. “We were able to gain experience. It is obvious that we did not obtain the expected result. But we will learn from it and move on to the next game. »
It will be this evening with the reception of Victor Wembanyama's Spurs for a new derby.
