Jason Kidd: Mavs Not 'Scoreboard Watching' for Playoff Push

Moving up in Western Conference playoff picture not immediate goal for Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks are currently fifth in the Western Conference at 45-28 and have a real shot to earn home-court advantage in the first-round of the playoffs.

But instead of focusing on the standings, the Mavericks locked into the task at hand. That was certainly true in their 110-91 win over the Houston Rockets with Luka Doncic sidelined.

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

© Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

“We’re not scoreboard watching too early,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “We’ve got to take care of ourselves, and if we can do that, one, that accomplishes one goal, and that’s to make it to the playoffs.

“We can’t dictate who we’re going to play. We have to worry about ourselves.”

Against the Rockets, the Mavericks stayed diligent to avoid a letdown. After allowing 32 points in the second quarter, Dallas contained Houston to just 38 total points in the second half. 

“Houston is dangerous,” Kidd said. “Against Oklahoma City, we ended up with a loss and we talked about that before the game and how things kind of come back to us, and we’re sitting in the same seat.

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

“It’s hard to beat a team four times. We accomplished that tonight, but we talked about things that have happened to us. The challenges, the things that we have gotten better at, and this group listened and they executed and we found a way to win.”

The Mavericks are at Minnesota on Friday in another crucial game. The Timberwolves (42-32) are 3.5 games back of Dallas. The teams met earlier in the week, with the Mavs pulling out a 110-108 win.