Coach Jason Kidd Speaks On Spiraling Mavericks 'Taking Things For Granted'

The Dallas Mavericks are no strangers to playing down to their competition, which is exactly what they did yet again on Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets.

It's been a less-than-enjoyable weekend for the Dallas Mavericks, who lost two consecutive games to a team they should've beaten in the Charlotte Hornets. 

After Friday's uninspiring 117-109 loss to Charlotte at home, the Mavs followed it up with an almost identical performance on Sunday afternoon and ultimately falling short, 110-104. The only real positive was Luka Doncic finally breaking out of his slump and putting up 40 points.

Like Friday's loss, the Mavs came out flat with lackluster effort compared to the Hornets, which put Dallas at a double-digit deficit at the end of the first quarter, leading to their demise just minutes after the opening tip.

Following Sunday's loss, Mavericks coach Jason Kidd was asked about yet another slow start with Dallas playing down to Charlotte's level for the second straight game.

"It's Game 74. When you look at, just sometimes, you can play down to your competition. Sometimes, you take things for granted," Kidd said postgame. "As much as we talk about our offensive firepower, we got to play defense. Right now, in our first quarters, we aren't doing that."

In the two-game mini series, the Hornets outscored the Mavs 67-42 in the first quarters combined. That's what you call a team being unmotivated and unprepared.

Slow starts have been an issue for Dallas all season long, which leads to the Mavs having to play catch-up from the jump and then running out of gas by the time crunch time rolls around.

"Again, I thought the talk at halftime — there were things said there, and I thought they were all true. I thought the players responded to what was said," Kidd said. "You can't wait."

Kidd is right -- the Mavericks can't wait. There are seven games remaining in the regular season and Dallas currently sits as the No. 11 seed in the Western Conference, a half-game behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for the final play-in spot. 

Dallas will look to get back into the play-in race with a win on Monday vs. the Indiana Pacers without Doncic, who will be suspended for one game due to receiving his 16th technical foul of the season during the second quarter of Sunday's loss.

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