It’s 107 and counting for Jason Kidd.

J-Kidd recorded his 107th career triple-double and second on the season Tuesday night as the Mavericks defeated the Philadelphia 76ers, 101-93. Jason was nothing short of magnificent as he netted 13 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds while finishing without a turnover in the victory. It was the fifth time in his career that No. 2 has recorded a triple-double without a turnover.

The win was Dallas’ seventh straight and they have now won 17 of 18 overall. With the victory over the 76ers, they also gained ground on the Western Conference leading San Antonio Spurs and now sit five back in the loss column with 22 to play.

J-Kidd has been on a tear since the break, racking up an average of 12 assists per game and hitting 50 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. But Tuesday night’s performance was extra-special.

No. 2’s 107 triple-doubles rank him third all-time and according to ESPN Notes & Information the next five players on the list do not combine for as many triple-doubles as J-Kidd (105). Jason trails only two legends on the all-time list, Hall-of-Famers Oscar Robertson (181) and Magic Johnson (138).

Soon after the game, Johnson tweeted congratulations Jason’s way:

"One of my fave point guards of all-time just got another triple double last night.. Congrats to @RealJasonKidd.

Jason was as humble as ever in describing his outstanding game:

"Just trying to help my guys," he said. "I just tried to come back and help rebound the ball.”

But a lot more than that goes into each J-Kidd triple double and every one is a rare feat in and of itself, as Ian Levy explains at The Two Man Game:

"From 1987 on, no one even approaches Kidd’s mark. The most by an active player other than Kidd is LeBron James with 31. These triple doubles are just one statistical bullet point on Jason Kidd’s Hall of Fame résumé, but for some reason I find them especially captivating. Even the minutiae are fascinating. These 107 remarkable games have covered 17 seasons and three different teams. 21 of them have come in his two separate stints with the Dallas Mavericks. 61 came with the New Jersey Nets; 25 with the Phoenix Suns.

Kidd’s win percentage in triple-double games is 0.707. He even once recorded a quadruple-double…by racking up 14 turnovers in a game against the Knicks in November of 2000. A triple-double is an example of a player raising his game in three key statistical areas. For Kidd, it’s an example of him raising his game in almost every area. The table below shows Kidd’s per game statistics for the 107 games in which he recorded a triple double.

MPG  Pts   Reb    Ast   Stl   TO    FG%      FT%      3PT%
40.1  17.5  11.4  12.2  2.1  3.5    41.6%   80.3%   38.6%

To read more from Levy on Jason’s feat and just how hard it will be for another player to pass him on the all-time list, click here. 

John Schuhmann of NBA.com notes a few other interesting tidbits about Jason’s triple-doubles in his Stats Cube column:

"The Sixers tied the Spurs and Kings as the teams most often victimized by Kidd’s triple-doubles. He now has seven against each. The only teams Kidd hasn’t recorded a regular season triple-double against are the Celtics and Nets, but three of his 11 postseason triple-doubles came against Boston in the conference finals in 2002."

After Tuesday’s win, teammate Dirk Nowitzki lauded Jason for his work to help his teammates succeed:

"With Kidd, he’s the best passer in the game. He sets an unselfish tone every night," Nowitzki said. "He passes up shots all the time to get a guy a better look. It carries through to the whole team."

Along the way on Tuesday, No. 2 also grabbed three steals, giving him 2,444 in his career. That pulled him to within just one to tie and two to pass Gary Payton for third all-time on the NBA steals list.

WAVE AFTER WAVE
There’s only one way for Jason to describe the depth and success of the Mavericks’ offensive attack this season:

"We just keep coming, wave after wave," he said.

By now, it’s no secret that the Mavs own the deepest bench in the NBA. According to Jason, having two sets of starting lineups has been the key for Dallas in posting a record of 44-16. After Tuesday’s big win, No. 2 had particular praise for Mavs sixth man Jason Terry, who poured in 30 points to push Dallas to the victory.

"That’s what he does," J-Kidd told Mavs Moneyball. "He’s a guy that can put points up in a hurry, and he did that again off the bench. We expect that from our bench and they delivered tonight."

The game teetered back-and-forth in the first half with 18 lead changes and multiple ties. Jason fed his teammates for six assists in the opening frame to give his squad an early 23-22 lead heading into the second.

After J-Kidd returned from a brief respite midway through the second period, the Mavericks briefly pulled away. No. 2 fed Terry for back-to-back triples, building the Dallas lead to ten points, 49-39. At halftime, the Mavs led by seven.

Dallas forward Shawn Marion told ESPN Dallas that he was thrilled to see J-Kidd and Jet Terry step up for the team, though he wasn’t exactly surprised by it.

"Anybody on our team is capable of going out there and having a big night," said Marion, who added a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double. "It just so happened it was Jason and Jason on this night. We have so much experience that any one of us can do it on any given night and that gives us added confidence as a group."

In the second half, Jason got into the scoring act himself. He hit a trey from the right wing right out of the gates in the third and, a few minutes later, took the same shot off a feed from Terry to make the score 65-60 Dallas.

But the 76ers refused to go away and heading into the final frame, Dallas led Philadelphia by just two points, 79-77. The 76ers tied the game several times in the fourth, but could never pull ahead. The Mavs took advantage and finally put the game away for good with just under three minutes to go. Jason capped a 9-4 run with a triple to give Dallas the 92-88 lead.

With the Sixers still hanging in, Jason went a perfect 4-of-4 at the free throw line in the final 40 seconds to maintain the Mavs’ edge and secure the win.

Dallas played most of the game without center Tyson Chandler, who suffered an ankle sprain. But J-Kidd said the Mavs are never short on perseverance:

"This is a special team, in terms of focus. We don’t want anybody to be hurt, but when you have this type of team, we have a special ability for sticking with things."

It’s a trait, No. 2 claims they will need to have if they want to compete for an NBA championship:

"This was another dress rehearsal for the playoffs," he said of Tuesday’s win. "San Antonio is playing extremely well. So are the Lakers. We have to keep playing consistent basketball, especially as we get closer to the playoffs."

NEXT UP
Jason and the Mavs finished their latest road trip by posting a perfect 3-0 record. They now boast an impressive 22-8 mark away from home this season.

On Friday, they will try to improve their identical 22-8 home record within the friendly confines of the American Airlines Center against the Indiana Pacers. Tip-off is slated for 7:30 p.m. CST and the game can be seen on Fox Sports Southwest.

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