OKLAHOMA CITY – Dereck Lively II said it’s OK if he and some of his teammates have a little flashback.
The Mavericks on Tuesday will visit the Oklahoma City Thunder in the quarterfinal round of the 2024 NBA Cup with a spot in the semifinals in Las Vegas on the line.
The stakes: win or get knocked out.
“It brings me back to my (NCAA) tournament days, trying to be as competitive as possible, trying to bring as much energy, as much discipline and as much focus as we can to these games. There’s a lot on the line.”
Not the least of which is money. The Mavericks already have earned $50,000 per man for making the knockout phase of the Cup.
Win Tuesday and each player will pocket $100,000. The earnings go up to $200,000 per player for reaching the title game and $500,000 if your team wins the championship of the in-season tournament that is in its second season.
“I think it’s great to be able to play to go to Vegas tomorrow,” coach Jason Kidd said. “This is the second year and it’s our first year being involved this far. It’s a great measuring stick on the road against the best team in the West. I think it’s great for both organizations, a great test for both teams.”
The Thunder won their Group in that stage of the tournament. The Mavericks finished second in their group, but had the best point differential among all teams that went 3-1 in their group and earned the wild card spot.
Golden State will play at Houston in the other Western Conference quarterfinal matchup.
The best news for the Mavericks is that they are absolutely sizzling going into the match against OKC. They have won seven in a row and 11 of their past 12 games.
Yet, they still trail the Thunder by 2½ games in the West.
Klay“There’s always a point in the journey when there’s going to be a game or two that stands out,” Kidd said. “Some would say we’ve already had one that we can reference that we need to get better at (a regrettable loss at Utah).
“And then understanding what’s at stake tomorrow – winner goes to Vegas. Both teams want to go to Vegas, but only one can go. So this is a great test in December, really cool and I think this is what the league wanted for the in-season tournament.”
Lively is one of the Mavericks with recent experience of the tournament-style pressure that accompanies a win-or-go-home situation.
He was on the Duke team in 2023 that reached the NCAA tournament as a No. 5 seed. They beat Oral Roberts when Lively had 12 rebounds and six blocked shots. The Blue Devils then lost in the second round to Tennessee.
“You got money on the line, so it’s going to bring that competitiveness, that energy,” he said.
Luka earns weekly honor: Luka Dončić was named the Western Conference player of the week for the first time this season and the 14th time in his career.
The Mavericks won all three of their games last week and Dončić averaged 29.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 3.3 steals per game. He also nailed 43.8 percent of his three-point shots.
Luka had a pair of triple-doubles during the week, including a 30-point, 13-rebound, 11-assist gem at Toronto that moved him ahead of Wilt Chamberlain and James Harden for seventh place on the all-time triple-double list with 79.Luka
Dirk Nowitzki (16) is the only Maverick to win more player of the week awards than Dončić.
Kidd passed for No. 2: With 10 assists on Sunday, Chris Paul reached 12,099 for his career, passing Jason Kidd (12,091) for second place on the all-time NBA assist list.
Kidd was graceful about Paul’s accomplishments, but then offered his assessment about who is No. 1 on the NBA’s all-time helpers’ list.
“Well deserved, incredible. Future hall of fame,” Kidd said of Paul. “Had a lot of great teammates. Assists, you need a partner. Congratulations to him and what he’s accomplished, and he’s not done. I don’t know if he can catch (John) Stockton, I don’t think anyone can catch Stockton. But for Chris to be second, that’s big time.”
Kidd said he was honored to remain at No. 2 for so long, even if it is far, far behind Stockton’s 15,086 dishes.
“Yes, when you talk about Chris Paul and a lot of the great point guards in this league, to be able to stay up there . . . unfortunately, I didn’t play long enough to catch Stockton, but that number is very impressive when you look at not just the assists, but steals. Stockton’s not really mentioned in the top five of point guards. He should always be in the top two with the things he’s accomplished.”
LeBron James is No. 4 on the list, but needs 873 more assists to pass Kidd.
“I don’t know who’s next in line to pass me, but records are meant to be broken and someone will catch Chris at some point,” Kidd said. “I just don’t know if somebody can catch Stockton.
Congratulations to SMU: Kidd was happy to see SMU make it into the college football playoff bracket after their heartbreaking loss Saturday to Clemson in the Atlantic Coast Conference championship game.
The Mustangs trailed by 17 points going into the fourth quarter, but rallied to tie at 31 before a last-second 56-yard field goal by Clemson won the game.
“I think it’s great, well-deserved that SMU . . . it was a heck of a game,” Kidd said. “The other night we watched it – heck of a field goal, but the fourth quarter was incredible. SMU didn’t quit, (went) down, tied it.
“When you talk about college football this time of the year, it’s just like the NCAA tournament, it’s do or die. You’re seeing some great football. I think it’s great for the NCAA and college football. Everybody’s watching and seeing who’s going to advance.”
X: @ESefko