Mavs booed as Jason Kidd calls out effort; Luka Doncic admits his frustration

“Maybe we should have been booed in the first quarter,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said after losing 117-109 to the undermanned Charlotte team, which sent Dallas (36-38) sliding to 11th in the Western standings. play scenario.

Kidd described the Mavs’ effort as “horrible” and “terrible” in the first quarter, when the 24-51 Hornets scored 37 points despite missing three starters and playing the second night of a consecutive game.

“The interest level wasn’t high,” Kidd said. “It was just disappointing.”

Dallas entered the game as a 16-point favorite, making this the biggest upset in the NBA this season, according to ESPN Stats & Info.

The Mavs’ only lead of the game occurred after Luka Doncic led a float after the opening possession. The Hornets led by as many as 21 points before Dallas rallied in the fourth quarter, cutting the deficit to one with 8:30 remaining, only for Charlotte to respond immediately with a 10-0 run.

Dallas is 7-12 since All-Star guard Kyrie Irving joined the team following a successful deal with the Brooklyn Nets that MAF management had hoped would boost their chances of competing this season. That includes the 3-7 when Irving and Doncic, who both had nagging injuries, are in the starting lineup together.

“We have to fight hard and play hard,” said Doncic, who scored 34 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists in his second game since returning from a five-game absence due to a left thigh strain. “That’s it. We have to show we care and it starts with me first. I have to lead this team, be better, play harder. It’s on me.”

Doncic, who was fined $35,000 by the NBA earlier in the day for making a financial gesture toward umpires late in Wednesday’s held loss to the Golden State Warriors, admitted he was as frustrated as he was during his five-year career.

“I think you can see him on the field with me,” said Doncic. “Sometimes it just doesn’t feel like me. I’m just there. I used to be really having fun, smiling on the court, but it was very frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”

When asked what else was bothering him, Doncic cited issues in his private life.

Irving poked fun at what he called “the beautiful words the sport likes to put in, like hope and worry,” saying that an adjustment period was expected after a major mid-season trade. Injuries to Doncic and Irving, who missed four matches due to soreness in the right foot, complicated the process.

However, Irving attributed the Mavs’ poor start against the Hornets to a lack of energy.

“We’re a very balanced group on the days when I feel like we’re doing our best, and then the days when some kind of energy falters or we don’t start well or the offense doesn’t go or people just don’t go,” said Irving, who scored 18 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, But he shot badly (6 of 16 from the floor, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range).

“And we still feel for each other in a way of getting used to each other’s efforts, attitudes, and moods. And that’s a real thing. That’s a human thing. That’s a human element. Whether people believe in basketball or not, there’s a very thin line between winning basketball games and everyone being on the same page.” And losing basketball games and things that split and point fingers.”

As much as Kidd considered the boos deserved, Irving considered the crowd’s reaction irrelevant.

“So? So what? Just the way I feel about it,” Irving said. “I’ve been in New York City, so I know what that’s like. Obviously, you want to play well, but only five people on the field can play for the Dallas Mavericks. If the fans want to switch places, then, be my guest. We have years of work to do to be Cool enough to be at that level. But our focus isn’t necessarily on the booing. It has to be on our performance and being there for each other.”