On Thursday night the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Atlanta Hawks, 109-95. The victory clinched a playoff spot for the Mavericks with six games to go in the season. After the win, head coach Jason Kidd, along with Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr. and P.J. Washington gave their thoughts on the win and how the team played.
Jason Kidd
(On the growth of Mavericks forward P.J. Washington Jr. since joining the Mavericks at the trade deadline...)
“When you talk about P.J. [Washington Jr.] being here, we’ve always trusted [him], and you can see that on both ends, offensively and defensively. We’ve always graded him on the defensive end. Understanding that he’s going to get good looks, he’s going to put the ball on the floor. His midrange game is as good as anyone’s. Tonight, the bounce back for him was being able to knock down the 3 for us. [That] helped us. We would love for him to do that every night, but we don’t judge him on making 3s. We love what he does for us on the defensive end.”
(On whether tonight’s game shows if Washington Jr. can be a third scoring option for the team...)
“Anyone can be the third option — we know we’ve got one and two. It’s open for anyone to step into that third seat. Our two stars are going to create open looks, not just for P.J. [Washington Jr.] but for D.J. (Derrick Jones Jr.). I thought he was great being able to put the ball on the floor, drive it, make plays for his teammates but also be able to get to the rim. Those two have been incredible for us on the defensive end. Tonight, we were a little tired, first game back from a long road trip, but I thought the chemistry and trust was shown again. It wasn’t pretty but we did what we had to do and that was get the win.”
(On the team’s response to Mavericks guard Luka Dončić’s up and down quarters...)
“That’s why it’s called “the Mavericks” — it’s a team. Luka [Dončić] gets in foul trouble. This is a great scenario, could happen in a big game, it could happen in the playoffs. Someone else has to step up. Bringing Kai (Kyrie Irving) back early, he takes the reins. [Dante] Exum and those guys fall into place and help us get back in the game. I thought the tempo was at a high. We just couldn’t make shots there. Again, just staying the course, trust, the ball is touching the paint. We tried to get out and run. Give the Hawks credit there; early on they were making 3s. We tried to get them off the 3-point line, but they did a good job of making them. This is a team. Being able as role players to pick up your stars, like they did tonight, is big.”
(On if the team is playing its best basketball and whether it’s peaking too early...)
“That’s a great question because you could ask that in December and January [about] peaking too early. Understand playing your best basketball at this time of the year — March, April, May, June — gives you a chance to win a championship. That’s what we’re playing for. Now, going through different scenarios in January and December, that’s what the season’s for is to figure out and find out who you are. That’s what we’ve done. I think we understand who we are. Again, holding a team under 100 points is big. It just shows that our defense is at a high level. Again, we’re creating the open shots, we just haven’t made them. There is a theory once the playoffs start, we’re going to make all those shots and continue to play that defense. So, we will see.”
Kyrie Irving
(On the team’s defensive effort tonight…)
“We were good. I think a few times out there, we had a few breakdowns. But the stats reflect kind of how hard we were playing. One of the toughest games to win is [one] coming off a long road trip so we definitely answered that call tonight. [I’m] proud of the guys. We really battled tonight. They were coming off a back-to-back so we kind of knew that they would eventually run into some gas problems or some depth problems. They ran into some foul trouble as well. De’Andre Hunter was out of the game [with foul trouble]. So, it was a big stretch in the game where we had to make our run and make our push. I’m grateful we did that.”
(On how it feels to clinch a playoff spot with tonight’s win…)
“Shoot man, I’ve got a meme in my photos as you know that professional athletes love memes that the media puts out. ESPN gave us a grade D for the trade of me coming here. I think us clinching a playoff spot and putting ourselves in a great position definitely answers some of those questions that were asked last season by some of the naysayers and all of that stuff. It’s a great moment to again answer those questions and succeed in clinching a playoff spot.”
(On if there is a redeeming feeling that comes with clinching the playoffs…)
“Life is about redemption man, especially in sports, where anybody can say anything and something can happen in the next day, next two weeks, or next few months that leads you to succeeding at a very high level or failing at a high level. It just comes with it. So, it’s always about redemption everyday that you wake up and just trying to be better. So, it feels good.”
(On what he thinks former Mavericks forward and Hall-of-Famer Dirk Nowitzki means to the Mavericks as a franchise…)
“Yeah, shoutout to the legend. The statue. I can tell you what he means to the broader basketball [world]. But I think for Dallas in general, he created a culture of championship-winning, MVP-like performances, a lot of game-winners and playing with a lot of legends in the league. You look at the names that are one the floor, there’s a lot of legendary names that have come through Dallas and helped build this franchise be where it is today. Although it’s only one championship, a lot of franchises can’t say the same, that they’ve won a championship. That means something in the basketball culture world and in the sports world. Just the respect that I have for him as a peer, as a little brother, I look at Dirk as someone I can always go to if I need some resources and advice. Just hearing about the quality of human being that he is and how much he has influenced Luka and other guys that have come through here, it’s nothing but positive things. He had his ups and downs just like every great pro. He won a lot of games and lost some games, but the respect that I have for hi mis just unconditional. He set the standard here and he’s built a large legacy that other guys want to follow.”
Derrick Jones Jr.
(On his dunk during the game…)
“[That was] just another dunk for me. That’s probably not even close to my top-50. That was a basic dunk. I don’t know. I guess the rim doesn’t hurt me. I don’t have any pain from dunking the ball, me personally.”
(On the attempted alley-oop pass from Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving…)
“Ah, I didn’t jump high enough. That was on me. I didn’t think Kai (Kyrie Irving) was going to make me jump to my highest ability. Next time, I’ll get it. I’m going to get it next time.”
(On what his vertical is…)
“I don’t know. I haven’t checked my vert since my senior year in high school. I guess we’re going to have to check that out. [Back] then it was 43 [or] 44. When I’m down there, I get that 1-2 and take off. I don’t really think that there’s many people who are going to try and jump with me. If I’m in the air first, it’s over.”
(On what’s been the catalyst that’s made his defense what it is now…)
“Like I said, we are getting a lot of turnovers. [We are] forcing a lot of turnovers and deflections. On the defense, I’m slowing the offense down, keeping plays in front of us and keeping light on my feet. [We are] always there to help one another. That’s probably the most important thing; just always there for each other.”
(On the team’s chemistry…)
“It’s amazing. Winning a game of basketball is always great but the chemistry that we have together, the bond that we’re building – it’s great. I love it. We’re all having fun, enjoying each other’s success. That’s the main thing. We’re all out having fun and enjoying each other. That’s all I can tell you.”
P.J. Washington Jr.
(On the defense forcing 21 total turnovers tonight…)
“We wanted to be aggressive with them. We felt like they’re a great team, they’ve won six of their last seven, so we wanted to come in and protect home court coming off a loss to Golden State. I think everybody bought into the defensive end, and we were connected and talked the whole game. I think we did good on that.”
(On how confident he’s become in the offense…)
“My confidence has been growing each and every game. I’ve been in the gym working on my shot. For me, it’s just taking it with confidence, step into it, make sure my footwork is right. It went in tonight, but they won’t go in every night, so for me, just trying to be consistent doing the same thing with my footwork.”
(On the resilience of the team having not lost back-to-back games in a month…)
“I think it just shows our toughness. For us, the mindset we had to come in and protect home court. Everybody was locked in and ready to play. Hats off to everybody. We stepped in and did everything we were supposed to do. We played like a team tonight.”
(On if the team is on its way to playing its best basketball…)
“Yessir. I feel like we’re in a good place. Everybody is buying in, everybody’s playing together, and everybody’s happy for each other. It’s great to be on a team like this, and I’m just excited.”
(On Dallas clinching at least a top-10 seed with tonight’s win to ensure games past the regular season…)
“It feels great. I just can’t wait. I’ve been talking about it the whole time I’ve been here. I’m just excited to get a taste of postseason play. I just can’t wait for it.”
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