The Dallas Mavericks’ efforts to reverse the effects of their most recent losing hit a roadblock when the Denver Nuggets overwhelmed them on the way to a crushing 118-99 victory against the Nuggets, seeing them sink dangerously close to the play-in spots in the Western Conference standings.
Jamal Murray was the most outstanding performer during the second of their back-to-back duels after Russell Westbrook ran circles around the Mavs on Sunday. The consecutive losses not only emphasize the Luka Doncic-shaped hole in the roster but also point to the lack of depth Dallas has to deal with.
Jason Kidd knows there’s still plenty of time before the postseason begins in earnest, but he’s already demanding his players to step up to the plate.
Jason Kidd wants the Dallas Mavericks to perform better despite Luka Doncic’s absence
Aside from Doncic, the Mavs had to play most of the game with Derrick Lively II due to a right ankle sprain early in the game. While Kidd tried to work around the personnel shortages he was struggling with, he called on the roster to step their game up to ease the burden on Luka when he returns from injury.
Per the Mavericks’ Dwain Price:
“Unfortunately, we’re still going to be with injuries with D-Live probably being out,” Kidd said. “Just understanding when someone like that comes back, we can learn from it and we’ll be able to use this game (against Denver) as we get healthy that we cannot just rely on Kai or Luka or Dante or D-Live.
“You have to do your part. And (Tuesday) we just as a whole didn’t do our part.”
You know it’s bad when Daniel Gaffford’s 13 points was the highest points tally out of the 13 players who played minutes during the game. Irving wasn’t clocked in on floor, only making four of his 18 shot attempts. Klay Thompson’s 11 didn’t fare any better.
There’s still some time before the All-Star break, so the Mavs can make all the necessary adjustments and welcome Doncic back with a stronger squad.
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