The matchup between Jason Kidd and Steve Nash lived up to the hype on Thursday night.


J-Kidd putting the ball on the floor Thursday against the Suns (Getty Images).

J-Kidd had his fill on the night, scoring 13 points while dishing out six assists, grabbing four boards. He also picked off two steals and shot 50 percent from beyond the arc, but the Mavericks couldn’t hold on in a 112-106 loss to the Phoenix Suns.

"We had the looks around the rim but we just couldn’t capitalize," Kidd said. "The ball didn’t go down for us when we needed it to, and on the other end, we just couldn’t get stops."

The matchup made between Nash and Kidd made Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle think about what it was like when the two worked together on the same team. Carlisle could only imagine what coaching the two was like, as he told the Dallas Morning News.

"I would hearken back to what those practices were like," Rick Carlisle said. "You know Nash was a sponge soaking up everything he could learn from J-Kidd. And a few years later, those two are among the top two or three point guards in basketball. Not only are they two of the best players, but they’re two of the most fun players to watch in the league. So it’s a special matchup."

CHANGE IS GOOD
The starting lineup has been shifting frequently in the past few weeks. No. 2 told the Dallas Morning News that he likes last night’s lineup.

"It was good to have that lineup with the speed," Kidd said. "J.J

[Barea] is quick, and Roddy [Beaubois] is fast. I thought that was a positive thing. They can definitely change the game."

NEXT UP
The Mavericks will be back in Dallas on Saturday night when they host the Portland Trailblazers at 8 p.m. on KTXA.

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