For Mavericks coach Jason Kidd, daily doses of unfortunate news have become the norm. On Monday, 24 hours after the long-awaited return of Luka Doncic, Kidd learned that Kristaps Porzingis tested positive for COVID-19.
The irony is that the Mavericks held a then-healthy Porzingis out of Sunday night’s win in Oklahoma City for the express-purpose of saving him for Monday night’s quick-turnaround home game against Denver. Egad.
This COVID-19-induced Groundhog Day effect has tested Kidd’s resourcefulness and his team’s mettle, but once again the Mavericks responded Monday night with a grind-it-out 103-89 victory in American Airlines Center in which they helped force the Nuggets into 26 turnovers.
“If you have 26 turnovers, that means you’re hands are getting on a lot of balls,” Kidd said.
It was Dallas’ third straight victory and fourth in its last five games. And this win came just 25 hours after Dallas’ concluded a nine-day, five-game road trip.
In case you haven’t noticed, the Mavericks, even with a COVID-ravaged patchwork roster, seem to be grasping the principles of Kidd and defensive coordinator Sean Sweeney.
In the last four games entering Monday, Dallas’ defensive rating of 104.5 was fourth-best in the NBA. The last five Mavericks opponents have scored 95, 96, 86 and 89 points.
The latest defensive gem came without Porzingis, who became the 11th Mavericks player in 16 days to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols.
“It’s just the nature of the season right now,” Kidd said of Porzingis becoming the 11th Maverick player in 16 days to enter the NBA’s health and safety protocols. “We’re trying to get to zero (cases), but it seems like there one (new case) a day.
Monday’s game, Dallas’ 37th, would have been only the 16th time Doncic and Porzingis have played together this season.
Fortunately for the Mavericks, Doncic looks fresh and visibly leaner after his three-week absence, and though his shot again showed rust Monday -- 7 of 18 from the field, 1 of 6 from 3-point distance – he contributed 21 points, 15 assists and 8 rebounds and got ample help from a balanced Mavericks offense.
And the Mavericks’ recent uptick in defensive assertiveness continued. Though reigning NBA MVP Nikola Jokic scored 27 points and pulled down 16 rebounds, Dallas scored 28 points off turnovers and limited the Nuggets to 37 first-half points.
