Jason Kidd still sidelined as
injuries start to haunt Dallas Mavericks - NBA News
Tonight’s 95-85 win against the fifth seeded Memphis Grizzlies must have given the Dallas Mavericks a sigh of relief. The NBA champions have had had a horrid season so far by their standards, and even after beating the Grizzlies,
they are in a precarious sixth position in the Western Conference - their chances of being knocked out in the regular season still looming large.
One of the major reasons of their struggles has been the injuries. Dirk Nowitzki nearly took two weeks off for re-conditioning early in the season, Lamar Odom just returned from a layoff tonight, still struggling to find his feet,
and Jason Kidd missed his 11 game of the season against Memphis tonight.
The absence of key players has started to hurt the Mavs big time.
The recent injury to Dallas Mavericks veteran point guard Jason Kidd cost the Dallas Mavericks heavily as they lost to Los Angeles Clippers by a difference of 19 points in the last game. The Clips held the Mavericks, who are averaged
94.81 points per game fcoming into Wednesday's game, to just 75 points.
Dallas could only manage 14 assists in the absence of Kidd, their star playmaker and ball distributor. They are averaging 21.04 assists per game in home games so for the season.
Delonte West, who took over point guard duties for that game, only managed to score 6 points in 36 minutes. Even tonight, it took West and Rodrigue Beaubois to combine for 7 assists at the PG position. Those numbers are just not
good enough for the Mavs.
Kidd will miss the next two games in the Mavericks schedule, if not more, which could prove costly for Dallas as they try to improve their record and gain a better position in the Western Conference.
Kidd, being in his 18th NBA season at age 39, has been struggling for fitness since the beginning of the year. Although not at his peak this season, he is still crucial for Dallas Mavericks, particularly in the playoff stretch.
His experience and eye for plays on the court was one of the factors behind the Mavs playoff victory last season.
This season, he is averaging 5.9 points, 4 rebounds and 5.2 assists per game, which is significantly less than his figures from his prime years. However, his experience and expertise in the guard position, and most importantly
his on court leadership, make him a valuable asset for the Mavs.
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