Without Tyrese Haliburton or Myles Turner, the Pacers were an easy target for the Mavericks. But Jason Kidd’s troupe is sick, with Luka Doncic clearly not on his plate. After two losses to the Hornets, another misstep in Indianapolis, even against a diminished Pacers, was clearly possible.
The cancellation of the Slovenian All-Star’s 16th technical foul has already offered a breath of fresh air to Dallas, which also avoided a complicated start to the game, as has been the case lately.
“From the first ball, the guys executed things defensively and offensively, and we had fun once we took control of the game”, explained Jason Kidd. “Usually we let the lead halve, or drop it. But I thought the guys did a good job of taking the lead and keeping that lead. Kai (Kyrie Irving) and Luka (Doncic), they set the tone from the start. »
In the third quarter, Luka Doncic also managed a wonderful pass. Pushed back into a corner by Andrew Nembhard and TJ McConnell, he managed to find Jaden Hardy on the other side…
“It’s just a difficult pass from the baseline because there were so many arms” detailed Jason Kidd. “But he threw a fastball a la Nolan Ryan[former baseball player, known for his really fast throws]so I don’t think anyone could have gotten in his way. It just does. He’s one of the best passers in the league. He’s tough enough to make those passes. I don’t know if anyone else can pull off this pass. Again, he can make passes that most guys can’t.”
JaVale McGee revived?
The person concerned also confirmed that it was “probably one of the best passes I’ve done”.
With his 25 points, 7 rebounds and 6 assists in 28 minutes, most obviously the victory, Luka Doncic was satisfied and could smile. Even if the result promises to be more complicated with upcoming matches in Philadelphia, Miami and Atlanta, before returning to Dallas to receive Sacramento, Chicago and finally San Antonio.
Jason Kidd also appreciated Jaden Hardy’s rebound (20 points) off the bench, the rookie receiving the famous pass from Luka Doncic, commented on by LeBron James on social networks.
As for Luka Doncic, he especially relished the defensive effort of his group, with in particular the contribution of JaVale McGee. In distress this season, and not used at all for a month and a half, the pivot was revived by Jason Kidd, for a real impact: 10 points and 2 blocks in 13 minutes on the floor, for a +/- of +13 .
“He was everywhere. He defended, he had two dunks. commented his teammate. “There was a good energy to have him on the pitch with us, and that helped us a lot”.
