Jason Kidd did everything he could to get his Dallas Mavericks a second win this season against the San Antonio Spurs.

He passed well, he shot well and he rebounded better than most everyone on the floor. But the Mavs couldn’t finish a comeback and dropped a close one, 99-93 on Thursday to San Antonio.

Despite the loss, Jason was happy with the way his team came to play. He noted that, even without their leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki, if they continue to play hard, the wins will come more often than not.

"With this effort, we’ll win a lot more games than we’ll lose," Jason said. "But we’re having to play a little differently. Teams might not double-team us as much and we understand that."

In his own all-out effort, J-Kidd finished with another triple-double to add to his illustrious career. After the game No. 2 was typically humble about his achievement, offering to trade the stats for the win, as Tim McMahon of ESPN Dallas wrote:

Jason Kidd didn’t consider the 106th triple-double cause for celebration.

"They come and go," Kidd said after his 12-point, 10-rebound, 13-assist performance in the loss to the Spurs. "It was a triple-double, and we lost. I’d rather us win and not get a triple-double."

It’s not as if there’s anything too special about Kidd getting a triple-double against the Spurs.

He’s had seven triple-doubles in his career against the Spurs. That matches the most Kidd has had against any team, as he’s also had seven against the Kings.

But more than his own night, Jason was satisfied with the effort his team gave in the face of adversity. He told reporters that the Mavs’ showing on Thursday was proof positive that his team can play with any other, as quoted by Mavs Moneyball:

"We had multiple opportunities in the third to take the lead. We just didn’t capitalize on the offensive end. In this locker room, we believe that we can play with anybody, no matter who puts on a uniform. So, again that showed tonight. And going into the fourth quarter down seven, that’s all you can ask for."

THE EXTRA MILE
The two Western Conference powerhouses traded barbs early and Jason was on fire to start the game.

With the scored tied at eight apiece, J-Kidd made a great play that showed his incredible hustle and desire to win, as MacMahon explained:

"Play of the game: Kidd chases down Tony Parker from behind on a fast break and swats his layup attempt off the backboard with his left hand. Bodies fly to get the loose ball, which Brian Cardinal comes up with by diving on the floor near midcourt. Cardinal gets the ball to Kidd, gets up off the floor and gets it back for a transition 3-pointer from the top of the arc. Spurs coach Gregg Popovich, perturbed by the hustle-created 5-point swing in the first quarter, responds by calling timeout."

No. 2 hit four of his first seven shots and had the Mavs rolling when, on consecutive possessions, the point guard dropped a lay-in off the glass, hit an eight-foot jumper in the paint and then netted a triple near the corner to put Dallas ahead 18-12 early on.

The Spurs came charging back with a 16-6 run that lasted until the eight-minute mark of the second period and gave them the lead, 45-29. But Jason led his team back.

He made a nifty pass to Shawn Marion, who finished with a lay-in, and then later, No. 2 took a feed from Jason Terry in the corner and finished the play in typical fashion by draining the three and edging the score closer, 50-43. By halftime, the Mavs were in good shape despite being without Nowitzki, and trailed just 53-46.

In the third the Mavs played stellar defense and allowed the Spurs to score just 18 points. Jason added two more to his own total when he hit a jumper at the elbow midway through the quarter to make the score 59-58 Spurs.

After falling behind 10 early on in the final frame, Jason made a quick pass to Caron Butler, who finished with a big slam over Spurs’ big-man Tim Duncan.

In the waning moments of the game, however, despite consecutive J-Kidd to Jet hook-ups for 3-pointers, the Spurs were always able to keep pace. No. 2 made sure to give credit where credit was due:

"You’ve got to give San Antonio credit. They made shots when they had to. But the effort was there tonight, even without Dirk. We gave ourselves a chance to win. And in this league, that’s all you can ask for."

NEXT UP
The Mavs travel to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks on just their second New Year’s Day game in franchise history tonight.

In the Mavs’ last meeting with the Bucks, Jason, scored 11 points to go along with 10 rebounds and finished with a double-double. But the Bucks snapped a 12-game Mavs winning streak with a 103-99 win in Big D. So the Mavs head to Milwaukee with revenge in mind.

Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. CST and the game will be televised locally on Fox Sports Southwest.

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