22 players were on the injury list during the Indiana Pacers' clash with the Dallas Mavericks. Coach Jason Kidd did not have the wealth of talent that he usually has but still delivered. They notched the 134-130 overtime win and are feeling good about making a late-season run. Khris Middleton noted how this could all be because of the adjustments made by their head coach.
Dallas veteran staring to love Kidd's system
To say that the Mavericks have been struggling is an understatement. They lacked direction ever since the turn of the year and it led to a month of just losing all their games. After the trade deadline, Coach Kidd's squad vowed to shake things up. Everyone then delivered on that promise which led to their win over the Pacers.
Middleton ended up scoring 25 points while knocking down 11 of his 15 shots from the field. He also dished out seven assists to keep the Mavericks' offensive engine running while registering a steal to keep the Pacers from heating up. While it was a great individual effort, Middleton credited Kidd for how the schemes were ran enroute to their victory, via Eddie Sefko of NBA.com.
"Wish we’d got it before the All-Star break, but a perfect time to get a win. Thankfully, we ended the streak. So hopefully we can start a winning streak now. Doing it by committee, that’s something that J-Kidd preaches. This is a team that can get it done," Middleton said.
Kidd's offensive system was on full display against the Pacers. Six players managed to score 12 points or more and that momentum carried on until the final buzzer. The Mavericks were also very efficient by knocking down 54.3.% of their shots from the field. A point of improvement that they may want to fix is their plays from beyond the arc. Despite the win, Dallas shot a horrid 39.3% from three-point range on 28 shots.
The postseason is a far cry at this point for the Mavericks. Hopefully, Coach Kidd and Co. are able to decipher which plays would work out for them so that they redeem themselves in the 2026-27 season.
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