After a seven-point loss to the Lakers the day after Thanksgiving, Jason and the Mavericks rebounded to crush the Sacramento Kings, 101-78, Saturday night.
Jason, who had 12 points, 11 assists and eight rebounds in the 114-107 loss to the Lakers (13-1), knows that when Dallas (8-8) stumbles, the team just has to get up and try again. As Jason told the Star-Telegram:
“We’re disappointed, but we’ve got to learn from that. The big thing is to understand what it takes to be one of the best in this league. They made a run on us twice and won both games, so we’ve got to learn from that.”
AGAINST THE KINGS
Their next crack at the Lakers won’t be until March of 2009, but they certainly stepped it up against the Kings Saturday. Jason had eight points, eight assists and five rebounds.
Afterward, Jason assessed the victory:
“We’re trying to spread things out, give guys more of a chance to penetrate and be a little bit more creative. We want to play to our strengths, pick-and-roll and move the ball. We’ve been getting some wide-open looks.”
SIDE NOTES
In the loss against the Lakers, Jason had two steals, bringing his career total to 2,077, which allowed him to pass Mookie Blaylock for 10th place all-time. Jason already is among the league’s top 10 in assists (fifth), triple-doubles (third) and 3-point baskets (10th).
Jason is also the Mavericks top 3-point shooter, at 43.1 percent. The Dallas Morning News writes:
“Kidd has made more 3-point field goals this season than Phoenix’s Steve Nash and Utah’s Kyle Korver, two noted long-range shooters. His percentage is better than Houston’s Tracy McGrady and Minnesota’s Mike Miller.”
NEXT UP
Jason and the Mavs’ embark on a seven game stretch at home, starting tomorrow night against the LA Clippers (3-13). Tip is at 7:30pm.
RELATED ARTICLES
Lakers beat Mavericks 114-107 to go 13-1 (NBA.com, Nov. 29th, 2008)
http://www.nba.com/games/20081128/DALLAL/recap.html
Mavericks stumble late in the third quarter, lose to Lakers 114-107 (Star-Telegram, Nov. 29th, 2008)
http://www.star-telegram.com/287/story/1064768.html
Altered offense changes fortunes for Dallas Mavericks (Dallas Morning News, Dec. 1st, 2008)
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/basketball/mavs/stories/120108dnspomavslede.3c95739.html
Dallas Mavericks’ best 3-point shooter? Guess again (Dallas Morning News, Nov. 26th, 2008)
http://www.dallasnews.com/s/dws/nwsltr/sports/mavs/stories/112708dnspomavsnewsletter.2dd8372.html