Jason Kidd's quips on Luka Doncic after another masterclass against Golden State Warriors: "It's getting boring, let's see something different"
Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry faced off for the first time since their last meeting in the 2022 Western Conference Finals. The Dallas Mavericks edged past the Golden State Warriors 116-113 on the back of Doncic's 40-point triple-double.
The game marked the first of three meetings they'll have this season, with the other two scheduled for February and March.
The Mavericks got off to a tremendous start and, about halfway through the first quarter, were up 15-4. Propelled by notable bench performances from Kuminga and Lamb, the Warriors quickly fought back and were down 54-55 at halftime.
Following a constant uphill battle, the Warriors took a four-point lead towards the end of the fourth quarter, which, after a missed 3-pointer from Thompson and remarkable defense by Josh Green on Jordan Poole, ended in a five-point swing.
Down 113-115, the game came down to a single shot, and as Steph Curry faked his defender, he shifted his pivot foot and was called for a traveling foul. Luka Doncic's brilliant statline of 41/12/12, and Tim Hardaway Jr.'s season-high 22 points sealed the game for the Mavs.
After the game, Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd commented on Doncic's performance:
"Yeah, it's getting boring, I mean, let's do something different, maybe do it with his left hand. I'm just joking."
Luka Dončić tied Dirk Nowitzki for 2nd most 40-PT games in Mavs franchise history (20) & became the 6th player in NBA History with 4 40+ point triple-doubles. He's only 23 years old!
Jason Kidd: "It's getting boring. Let's see something different." 🤣
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"The man (Luka Doncic) is special, the guy loves competition, and when you have a triple-double like that it's not easy because he's marked when he pulls up in his car. His growth of getting off the ball and trusting his teammate is very high level."
While Kidd remarked on his triple-double, Luka Doncic's four steals were his favorite part of the game.
Luka Doncic snaps Mavs losing streak, and Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole fail to show up
The Mavericks snapped a four-game losing streak, where three of those losses came against the Milwaukee Bucks, the Denver Nuggets and the Boston Celtics, all top teams in their respective conferences.
The Mavericks have a relatively easy schedule ahead of them, with the only formidable teams in their way being the Suns, Bucks, Nuggets and Cavs, all of whom they will meet only once in the month of December.
The Warriors' loss last night was disappointing because had Curry not been called for the travel, the Dubs would have had a pretty good chance of winning the game. However, with the amount of talent the Warriors have on their hands, a lot of their games do not have to be this close.
Klay Thompson and Jordan Poole, two offensive specialists, were completely absent from the action last night, and this has been a bit of a theme this season. While Curry is putting up historical numbers on outrageous shooting splits, his two shooting guard companions are yet to find consistency.
Poole has been on and off as a bench player and has had good splits as a starter, but three out of those four games where he has started have been losses. The only win came against the San Antonio Spurs.
Amidst a series of games where Klay was improving, his five points on two-for-nine from the field was a remarkably disappointing performance.