The Mavericks’ 110-93 victory over the Spurs just ended a four-game losing streak, which included an 0-3 road trip run. At 6-7, Dallas is still struggling to find consistency, just a few months removed from its run to the 2024 Finals, writes Joe Vardon of The Athletic.
“(The players) have things that go on outside of the arena, and that’s always monitored (but) those things aren’t shared publicly,” head coach Jason Kidd said prior to the victory over San Antonio. “This has been an emotional week, starting in Denver, having an opportunity to win there and just the buildup of the game against Golden State with Klay. We could be a little bit more concerned of not just the buildup, but what the effects are.”
As Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com notes, Dallas has been getting the best efforts from the opposition, night after night. New additions to the club are a bit perplexed by the club’s lack of a clutch gene this season.
“We’re still trying to figure it out,” small forward Naji Marshall said. “Stuff happens. Obviously it didn’t go in our direction, all we can do is get better from here. It’s still early in the season… We’re just having a rough patch right now, but we’ll definitely get through it.”
There’s more out of the Lone Star State:
- 2022 lottery Rockets lottery pick Jabari Smith Jr. tapped into something for a breakout performance in a 125-104 NBA Cup victory over the Clippers, writes Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. The 6’11” big man scored 28 points on 11-of-17 shooting from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds.
- Fourth-year Rockets center Alperen Sengun, a restricted free agent this summer, continues to develop his game, Feigen writes in another piece. He notched the first triple-double of the year in Houston’s victory over the Clippers on Friday. His defensive growth has been a primary focus. “I do (a) good job,” Sengün said. “I do my best on defense, trying to help my teammates. Everybody is trying their best on defense. I’m just trying to help them more.” On Houston’s third-ranked defense, opposing players are connecting on a scant 42.9% of their looks when being guarded by Şengun. Head coach Ime Udoka singled out Sengun’s rim protection acumen for special praise.
- After a 12-game absence, Spurs reserve guard Tre Jones came back from an ankle injury in the team’s recent defeat against Mavericks, notes Jeff Macdonald of The San Antonio Express-News. The 6’1″ Duke product scored three points on 1-of-5 shooting from the field, while chipping in four dimes and three boards.