After a tough start at home, Jason Kidd and the Mavericks will be on the road tonight seeking their first win of the young NBA season.
But the challenge to get it will be a mighty one as the Mavs take on the undefeated Oklahoma City Thunder (3-0) on Thursday night. But while they’ve struggled early on this year, No. 2 believes Dallas merely needs some time to round into form and they’ll be back to playing at a high level.
"Chemistry is big,” he said. "We’ve got a lot of different pieces out there. We’re going to work everybody in, and everybody is going to get used to one another. It’s going to take time. For the guys who have been here, we’ve got to do a little bit more."
J-Kidd has been a strong shooter early in the season, tallying 18 of his 21 points from beyond the arc. He also has seven assists and a pair of steals. According to Charley Rosen of NBA.com, No. 2 needs to jump start Dallas in OKC.
"Somehow they must turn on their A-game, and play with passion and precision. Jason Kidd has to be the catalyst here."
In Monday’s loss to the Denver Nuggets, Jason knocked down 4 of his eight shots from deep for all 12 of his points. But the rest of the team shot just
42 percent from the field.
Still the Mavs tallied 93 points. It was the 115 points allowed, their second straight game allowing more than 100, that alarmed No. 2 more.
"We have to speed things up and understand how important it is to get back on defense and not turn the ball over," Jason said.
Oklahoma City has been held under 100 in two of its first three games, but they did score 106 against the Mavericks in the preseason opener at American Airlines Center on December 18. The Mavs will try to stop that from happening tonight in Oklahoma City.
Tonight’s game will be the 1,270th of Jason’s career, tying him with John Havlicek for 17th on the all-time list. Tip-off from OKC’s Chesapeake Energy Arena is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST and the game can be seen on TNT.
"This team is a team that has prided itself on going into the other team’s building and making a statement," Jason Terry said. "So
[Thursday], what a great way to do it and get our first win in Oklahoma."RELATED STORIES
- Mavericks will be facing red-hot Kevin Durant at Oklahoma City tonight (Dallas Morning News, December 29, 2011)
- Rosen’s Report: Mavs Vs. Thunder (NBA.com, December 29, 2011)
- As expected, defense takes center stage (ESPN Dallas, December 28, 2011)
- The Mavericks have to figure out how to play some defense (Dallas Morning News, December 25, 2011)