The Mavericks again were without their superstars for Monday’s rematch with the Memphis Grizzlies, but coach Jason Kidd prefers to look on the possibilities that await his team as they try to navigate the crowded Western Conference.
They have lots of company as a team that feels like their .500 record isn’t indicative of their team or their potential come playoff time.
Just one problem, as Kidd pointed out before Monday’s game. You got to make sure you get to the playoffs first.
“There’s a lot of us in the West that are trying to figure it out,” Kidd said. “Whoever can figure it out first will be in a better place.
“We feel we’re one of those teams that can figure it out. But again, health is a part of this. If we can get healthy here in the next couple days, we feel we can put our best foot forward.”
At this point, the health of the Mavericks is going the wrong direction. While Luka Dončić (left thigh strain) and Kyrie Irving (right foot soreness) both were ruled out of Monday’s game a few hours before tipoff, Christian Wood was a late addition to the injury report and he was ruled out shortly before tipoff.
For Dončić and Irving, it’s the second game in a row they’ve both missed as they sat out Saturday’s 112-108 loss in Memphis.
Said Kidd of Irving: “It’s day-to-day. So we’ll see how he feels. He’s going to work out and see how he feels and hopefully he’ll be able to practice tomorrow (Friday).”
Luka also is day-to-day and the hope is that he, too, can go through a practice on Friday.
The Mavericks start a three-game trip in San Antonio on Wednesday.
Kidd understands the frustration that is building among fans as the Mavericks sit at 34-34 and struggling to avoid the play-in tournament. After Monday, they will have 13 games left to try to get healthy and find a good rhythm before the postseason.
“It’s always hard, no matter if you’re healthy, it’s hard,” he said. “You have other teams in this league fighting for those same positions. Our health has been an issue this year. We never seem to get healthy.
“You would like the record to be better. But it’s not. It’s 34-34. Have we learned a lot about ourselves? Yes. Do we still have a lot to learn? Yes. How do we measure success? Some would say by your record.
“But at the end of the day, if we can get healthy, we feel like we can do a lot in the playoffs. But first you got to get to the playoffs. So we got to win some games here.”
Twitter: @ESefko
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