Jason Kidd was brutally honest about Luka Doncic's toughness after the Mavs star returned from an injury scare against the Wizards.
On Monday night, the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Washington Wizards 112-104. Dallas got off to a shaky start to the game, and Luka Doncic's injury in the third quarter didn't help.
Luka was already dealing with a broken nose and suffered a jaw injury against Washington. The Mavs star eventually returned to action despite suffering stitches and multiple injuries. Still, Luka played more than 37 minutes and led the Mavericks to victory in the fourth quarter, finishing the game with an impressive triple-double of 26 points, 15 assists, and 11 rebounds.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd provided an update on Doncic's injury status after the game.
“Yeah, he'll be fine,” Kidd said. “Stitches, nose, he's rolling in his face right now. I don't know if he's going to wear a mask or not. We're a physical team, the Mavs, we're physical. The cuts we have, the broken nose. You should all look at the other guys. He's had a few physical blows right now and he's got stitches, but he's going to be fine.”
Doncic sometimes receives backlash for arguing with referees. After all, Luka is a highly competitive player who will do whatever it takes to get the win. When you ask Jason Kidd about Luka Doncic's toughness, he was brutally honest about the 24-year-old superstar.
Kidd on Doncic: 'He's not soft'
“he is not soft” Kidd said. “That's for sure. He's one of the toughest kids I've had the opportunity to coach. And he's not afraid of a fight. If you look at his toughness, he's got a broken nose. He never complains. He loves to compete and even after getting stitches, he found a way to help his team win tonight.”
Kyrie Irving also had a great performance on Monday. Irving added 26 points of his own, along with seven rebounds and four assists.
Irving and Doncic have continued to build chemistry. They seem to have a lot of respect for each other.
kylie dealt with What Doncic's willingness to return from his in-game injury scare meant for the Mavs.
Kyrie Irving talks about Luka Doncic's defining impact on Mavs
“It takes a lot of pressure off,” Irving said. “When you have someone who is constantly commanding double teams, you can create space on the weak side to get open looks, play 4-on-3 basketball, 3-on-2 basketball, and play advantage basketball. That alone creates a good rhythm. His late shots are reliable, and even when he's wide open to get corner threes and wing threes, his late shots are reliable.
“Or you see Maxi driving, you see me driving, you see Josh driving. You have to be ready to play basketball when Luka doubles. I know he wants to get buckets and attack everyone, but he does a good job of accepting double teams. So we allow those positions as teammates. But we also know we have to be aggressive and help him get great team wins.”
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic have emerged as one of the best duos in the NBA. After last year's trade, it was difficult to build the necessary amount of chemistry, not just between players but with the team as a whole. While it's exciting to bring in a new superstar in the middle of a season, the players still need time to learn how to work together and find success.
Irving was able to focus on the Mavericks from the beginning this season. Although Kyrie has dealt with some injury concerns, it's clear that Kyrie is looking more comfortable in Dallas so far during the 2023-24 season.
With Luka and Kyrie continuing to lead the way and Dallas' role players stepping up, this Mavericks team has a chance to make a run in the Western Conference.
