Jason Kidd, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington spoke to the media after the Dallas Mavericks took a 2-1 lead to the Phoenix Suns on the season Thursday night on TNT.
Here's what they had to say:
jason kidd
(On playing Maxi Kleber in the fourth quarter…)
“With Maxi [Kleber] Just being there and understanding and seeing a lot of different things here in a hurry. I felt like I went down by more than 3. [points at halftime].Give Phoenix credit, they made a lot of shots in the first game [half] But we somehow weathered that storm. We thought it would come out the third time, so we responded. Again, we have a lot of players who can play. Finally going in there with Maxi and being able to stretch the floor but being defensive and being a help guy…He did that at a high level tonight. ”
(On his return from the All-Star break, extending his winning streak to seven games, and his overall outlook for the rest of the season…)
“I think that answers the question about them working. Those two [Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving] They coexist pretty well. I think this again shows that our health, energy, everything is in a positive direction right now. It's looking great.Timmy [Hardaway Jr.] He looked great in the corner.maxi [Kleber] The layup was great. I think the players are having fun. They want to win and you can see that energy on the floor. Those guys are rooting for each other. There will be mistakes and missed shots, but it will lead to the next play. You can see that especially after the break. Things are going well, but I'm going to take a break. Sometimes we don't get our best, but I thought our players did a great job tonight. ”
(On the defensive impact of Mavericks forward P.J. Washington Jr.)
“I think it’s PJ.” [Washington Jr.] He's playing great defensively.He is trying to [Kevin] Durant.he switches to “book” [Devin Booker]. I think he got the ball a lot defensively tonight and he looked great. I love his ability to put the ball on the floor and get to the paint. I think he had some great looks…one of which I think he missed. But again, I think you could see the energy of the players. And they enjoy playing with each other. No one is complaining about the shot. When someone opens up, someone else takes it. Then we go back and think about the defensive rotation. It's fun to watch. ”
(On being able to manage the minutes tonight for Mavericks guards Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving…)
“I know Luke. [Dončić] We didn't want to come out in the third, but we're trying to give it to the players…especially coming back from the break, the tempo was high and the defensive effort was great. “Kai” [Kyrie Irving] was planning to go, so I let Kai go. Then, with two minutes left, he wanted “Kai” to be ejected, Luka to end the quarter, and “Kai” to start the fourth quarter… Moving forward, there were a lot of things to consider. However, there is no problem with the two of them.Luka wants to play with 48 [minutes] But you can still get your number within 30 minutes. I think the minutes were great for everyone. Again, fractions vary: Josh [Green] Gonna play some heavy minutes, D. Jones. [Derrick Jones Jr.] will step in and make a strong play. I'm going to repeat this for the next two weeks to understand the rotations and fractions and get a feel for the pattern. ”
Luka Doncic
(Currently on a 7-game winning streak…)
“[It’s] wonderful. I think we were a great team and won seven in a row. This hasn't happened for a while. I'm really happy with the players on our team. ”
(About the recent team defense…)
“I think our defense has improved a lot. If we play well on defense and offense, I think we'll be good on offense. We have to continue to improve defensively.”
(About Mavericks forward P.J. Washington Jr.'s defense…)
“Yes, that's good. Pajamas. [Washington Jr.], he was great defensively, not only in this game, but the last four games he played with us. We're just figuring it out.We spent four games together, but the new team [addition], I'm still thinking about it. But I think it's going in the right direction. ”
kyrie irving
(About the group coming together for a great team win tonight…)
“It feels good. I just want to keep it that way.”
(Currently on a 7-game winning streak, if there are still things to work on…)
“Yes, there are definitely things that need improvement.”
(The 3rd quarter begins with a score of 16-0…)
“Well, we just started really figuring out the game plan and stopped giving up a lot of easy baskets and started bringing in a little more help side.”
PJ Washington
(About his role in this team…)
“Just be who you are, be aggressive, show your versatility, do the little things. Of course, defensively, do what you can and the offense will come.”
(As for what happened at the start of the third quarter that sparked a 16-0 score…)
“We tried to come out aggressive in the second half and get things going. Obviously, our shots started falling. We had to pick up the pace defensively, and we did a good job there.”
(As for how they rack up wins like this to mark a 7-game winning streak…)
“Just keep going. It's just one game. Obviously we have bigger goals in mind. Obviously we're going to keep winning and building from there for the next game.”
(About the depth of the Mavericks' player base…)
“It feels really good. We have a lot of really good players. Everyone is on the same page. Our main goal is to win games and how everyone feels about each other. You see. Everyone has the right mindset, everyone is obsessed with it. Once you get it, you win. Obviously, you have to keep doing it.”
(On playing with Mavericks guard Luka Doncic…)
“He makes the game easy. He's obviously getting a lot of attention and a lot of double teams and a lot of guys running at him, so he just makes easy passes, It's almost a trip for everyone else. He has a unique skill set. I've never seen a player like him, so playing with him has been great for me so far. That’s clear.”
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