Post Game Quotes: Mavs vs Warriors

Mavericks 116 – Warriors 113 – Nov. 29, 2022

JASON KIDD
(On the team’s ball handling after Spencer Dinwiddie’s ejection…)
“I thought Josh [Green] stepped up. He did a great job for us tonight. Timmy [Hardaway Jr.], it was a committee. We had [Christian] Wood bring the ball up. Josh played incredible tonight for us. But I thought we had to bring Luka [Dončić] back a little bit earlier because of the ball handling situation and I thought he did a really good job of trusting his teammates, especially down the stretch. Josh made some great plays for us on both ends of the floor.”

(On the wide-open look for Klay Thompson at the end of the game…)
“It looked like the Utah game all over again. They ran kind of the same play over the top, got a good look. We got lucky.”

(On clutch time and securing a win…)
“I think when you look at just the calmness, the confidence that that group had on the floor at both ends. The Warriors got great looks and when they missed, they came up with the rebound. We gave them, at one time, a couple of opportunities but we got the rebound that we needed. Again, Timmy [Hardaway Jr.] was big, made some big shots for us tonight. Then you look at Josh [Green] being able to play make and again, getting to the basket. He’s not afraid. It was a great team win.”

(On why Tim Hardaway Jr. was put in the starting lineup after a tough start to the season…)
“He was due. These guys are human and we’re trying to put these guys in a position to feel good. For Timmy [Hardaway Jr.], we needed him to start to maybe pick up Reggie [Bullock] and he did that tonight. We’re going to at some point come back to Reggie. But again, when guys are playing well, Josh [Green] is playing well, he’s going to eat into some minutes of maybe Timmy or Reggie or Doe [Dorian Finney-Smith]. That’s just how it looks right now. I thought Timmy played an incredible game. We had a good talk yesterday. He came in to work. Whenever you see someone not shooting the ball well and not playing well and coming in maybe on a day off when you can stay at home, he was in there working. That’s what it takes to sometimes get out of a shooting slump; you’ve got to put in the actual work.”

LUKA DONČIĆ
(On getting out to a 17-point lead in the first quarter…)
“Sharing the ball and defending. Those two things were the keys in the first quarter.”

(On taking pride on the defensive end…)
“It was great. I was participating and giving it everything I had. I was really tired at the end. We needed this game. We needed this win. I think we deserved this win and we for sure needed this win.”

(On the team’s play after Spencer Dinwiddie pick up a flagrant penalty 2 foul…)
“We just filled the shoes. Josh [Green] was there and he played a great game. Tim [Hardaway Jr.] was there. Everybody, as a team, I think we played a great game. They scored 113, but we separated the defense and we played a great game as a team.

TIM HARDAWAY JR.
(On Luka Dončić’s 40-point triple-double…)
“It’s nothing new to me. I mean when he gets those triple-doubles it shows we’re knocking down shots. You know whatever it takes to get a win I guess.”

(On his own shot making tonight…)
“Yeah, just having a little more confidence. Releasing at the top and mechanics were fine. Just making sure I’m releasing at the top of my jump shot and not on the way down.”

(On his conversation with Jason Kidd yesterday and what he took away from it mentally…)
“It was great. Just picking each other’s brain for the most part and that’s basically it. I’m not going to get too deep into the conversation. It’s between us, but you know it was great – just to be able to talk and communicate and hear each other speak. It was all great, it was all positive, and just one thing I will say he just wanted me to go out there and have fun and be the Tim that everybody knows. For the most part, that’s what I tried to do.”

(On what they were able to do to get the 17-point lead in the first quarter…)
“Just for the most part just making sure we stook to our coverages communicating on the defensive end. When we got the rebound making sure they didn’t get second-chance shots. When we got the ball pushing the pace and for the most part, we were open so knocking down your open shots.”

(On what changes they had to make once Spencer Dinwiddie got ejected from the game…)
“Changes? Nothing, we have confidence in everybody. Josh Green did a phenomenal job coming in, filling in, and picking up the pace on both ends of the floor. Maxi [Kleber] included, and everybody had a part. Everybody had a part in this win. I think when Josh Green dove on the ball, it was out on him, but when he dove on the ball got a couple of deflections on that one play in the second half, I think that really energized our team. So, it was great just to see that.”

JOSH GREEN
(On Luka Doncic’s 40-point triple double…)
“I guess the next thing is a 100-point game, right? That’s what I’m hoping for we’ll see. Coming soon.”

(On if they had to do anything differently once Spencer Dinwiddie got ejected from the game…)
“No. When he first did, I was like, ‘dang, I haven’t played point guard in a while.’ I think when I made that turnover though I was like ‘it’s time to hoop.’ When they started talking that’s when I realized just play the same basketball and just do what I do. I can’t count the amount of times I came off an on-ball screen in the NBA. You know it’s been only one or two times, but it’s just basketball – what I used to do. I try to just slow down and just play.”

(On what was going through his mind when Klay Thompson shot the last shot at the end…)
“You have no idea. It literally felt like that shot was up in the air for 10 minutes and I was just waiting. He’s a great player and a great shooter. I need to watch film on that – and so does the rest of the team on that last play – and how to defend that. It’s always very suspenseful when you have one of the best shooters of all-time shooting the game-winning shot.”

(On what was going through his mind when you ended up at the scorer’s table at the end of the game…)
“A couple of things. First of all, wow, I really messed that one up on that last play. They got what they wanted and got the open shot. Also, I haven’t really finished too many games in my three years in the NBA. So as much as I was happy, not too many people get a chance to go on the court against Steph Curry and Klay [Thompson]. To be on the court at such a crucial time in the game it’s like what you dream of. It’s moments like that so for me it’s cool to take a second to be able to realize what happened. Now it’s just like moving forward and getting ready for the next game.”

(On his development and being more aggressive offensively…)
“I think it’s just looking at it like what do you got to lose. Last year, I was passing up on shots and quite frankly, they were bricking and missing and doing everything I didn’t want them to do. For me, this year just coming in and being confident. If I miss one you know just make the next one. I realize it hurts the team when you don’t shoot the open ball or you don’t do stuff like that. For me to just playing. If I’m open, I shoot it.”

STEVE KERR
(On what he saw down the stretch…)
“They made some big shots. [Tim] Hardaway’s shot was the key, I thought, down the stretch. We have to expect that teams are going to make shots against us. We are going to be circled on every team’s calendar, being defending champs, people want to take us out. Dallas has not shot well the last four or five games, from 3 especially, and we got exactly what we expected. They made 15 3s and Luka [Dončić] is Luka. He is a tremendous shot creator, and shot maker, and we just couldn’t get the ball to go down tonight. But I love the effort and I told the guys that we are in a really good spot. We have rounded into form and our bench has an identity. We very easily could have won that game, but the ball has to go in the hoop and some nights it doesn’t. We just have to move past this one and get ready for the next.”

(On Jonathan Kuminga’s play…)
“The best game I have ever seen JK play because everything he did contributed towards making an impact on winning. His defense on Luka [Dončić] was fantastic. He was disciplined, he stayed down, he challenged shots, I think he had a couple of blocks. He stayed patient offensively, he just took the shots that were there, he knocked down a big three. JK has been fantastic. He is really coming into his own and that is very exciting.”

(On if he thought the Warriors had an off night shooting the ball…)
“It was just an off night. You could see right away, we fell down 23-6, and we had plenty of good looks. It is just part of the season. This happens and it is no big deal.”

STEPHEN CURRY
(On the travel call at the end of the game…)
“It was a bang-bang situation and a dumb play by me to try and take the layup. I got a little confused on the time and score honestly and went for the hero shot. I didn’t think it was a travel though, but who am I to say.”

(On tonight’s overall performance…)
“I am super proud of JP [Jordan Poole], Donte [DiVencenzo], JK [Jonathan Kuminga], JaMychal [Green], and Ant [Anthony Lamb]. They all gave us an opportunity to have something to play for late in that second quarter and the rest of the game. Our starters play like we did in the first six minutes, and they built a lead. Our pattern is that we haven’t had any chance to come back when we lose those games by double digits. But our guys came in and played amazing on both ends of the floor and gave us life to the point we were only down one going into halftime. A couple 3s go down and you get a couple of stops and it’s a different tone because of them on the bench. I know there has been a lot of talk on their performance, but if they play like they did tonight we will be a hell of a team.”

(On Kuminga’s performance tonight…)
“It’s the reason he played 26 minutes. I don’t know the last time he’s done that in a meaningful game where he was in the rotation. He is relied on and trusted to go do his job. I think everything he did was in the spirit of trying to make winning plays and it was amazing to see. He was guarding, he was physical, smart, weakside blocks, rebounds, all that stuff is huge. For his confidence I hope he is proud of the way he played and understands he played 26 minutes because coach was proud of what he saw.”

(On Luka Dončić’s performance tonight…)
“His size and his ball handling skills keep you on edge the whole game. That plus being a three-level scorer, you have to worry about everything. He can get the step-back 3s going so you have to press into him. He is shifty and has a great handle so he can use his leverage to get by you. Obviously, his court vision is unreal. He is kind of the offensive package of just being a playmaker and scorer. When he is knocking down shots like he did tonight, he is tough. You want to take something away from him, but he kept making play after play, and even a couple defensive plays on the other side – a couple of steals and a strip on me. He is playing at an extremely high level and is getting better every year.”

DRAYMOND GREEN
(On Jonathan Kuminga and the game…)
“He’s all over the floor, impacting the game. He actually scored tonight—14 and 10, a double-double. But, he’s been playing like this for the last three games. The message to him was ‘keep playing that way,’ because the numbers will come if you play that way, and tonight, they did. It was huge for us, because it kept us in the game. Our first unit couldn’t get it going to start the game — it was like we were running in mud and they were running circles around us. The second unit went in along with Steph [Curry] and they walked it down a little bit, and then we were able to continue it in the second quarter. But, it was in large part due to his play and JP’s patience and his play. Just to see those two guys starting to settle in, [Jordan Poole] moreso in the role that he’s in now, and [Jonathan Kuminga] just learning and getting more comfortable. It’s such a beautiful thing. I mean, he was all over the floor — blocks, steals, he guarded Luka [Dončić] really well when he was on Luka [Dončić], which we all know is a daunting task for anyone. Help side defense — I remember him vividly missing one tag and it wasn’t his fault, it was actually my fault, I was in no-man’s land. He came up to me and said ‘I was supposed to be there, that’s my bad,’ and the reality is, yes, you could be there, but it’s not your fault. You missed it technically because you were judging me on the rotation. He’s playing beautiful basketball, it’s great to see, and this is something he can and will continue to build on.”

(On what he sees when playing with the Warriors’ second unit…)
“I think just a different level of comfort. With that level of comfort, because it’s certain, you know what’s coming, you know who you’re out there with, you’re getting more accustomed to playing with those guys. I think it’s huge. Their confidence is back. I think with the second group the confidence was waning a little bit, and the confidence is back. So, it’s good! You can look at the plus-minuses tonight. The entire second unit was pretty much positive, and the entire first unit negative. Two weeks ago, we couldn’t say that. We couldn’t get near that two weeks ago. It’s uplifting to see these guys starting to figure it out and coming along, because ultimately it’s going to help us continue to win games in this season. But more importantly, it allows guys to get the proper rest. So you’re not expending more than what you need to expend in game 22, so it’s beautiful to see.”

JONATHAN KUMINGA
(On what has changed for him recently in terms of his play…)
“It is just a matter of time. Everything is taking a long time. I am not saying I am there yet, but it is just a matter of time and being around these guys helping me every day.”

(On how the team is playing together…)
“Yes, I feel like we know each other now. We are trying to do more stuff – like reading plays before breakfast together. I think things like that are bringing us together.”

(On having trust and encouragement from Coach Steve Kerr…)
“It feels good. It feels good to just build more and more. It is really important, especially for young guys coming into the league, to have that trust and build that relationship with your coach.”

(On how it feels to have solidified his position after not playing the first 10 games…)
“I wouldn’t say my position is solidified. It comes down to whenever the game is not going the right way and who the coach trusts. You just have to keep fighting at the end of the day.”