Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd praised the effort of his team after a 123-121 loss to the Charlotte Hornets. “A lot of good basketball down the stretch. They shot the three extremely well. I thought our group competed and found a way to get back into the game,” Kidd said.
Kidd highlighted Cooper Flagg’s historic performance, noting the teenager set a new record for points in a game by a teenager. “Cooper was incredible. Most points by a rookie or a teenager. Understanding he broke Aguirre’s record…he responded down the stretch. He made a big three,” Kidd said.
On Flagg’s matchup against Hornets rookie Kon Knueppel, Kidd explained the defensive strategy. “Coop is on his way for 50, so you’ve got to do something to try to slow him down. Knueppel plays the three at a high rate, so we tried to make him play inside the line,” he said.
Kidd also commented on his team’s ability to maintain momentum after a long halftime. “I thought the character of the group was ready to go once the third quarter started. Understanding that sometimes things happen, it was actually a really good game in the second half,” he said.
The coach reflected on the competitiveness between Flagg and Knueppel. “Not that it was new. He competes against anybody and everybody, and just happens to be a former teammate. Both trying to help their team win,” Kidd said.
Kidd praised the contributions of other Mavericks shooters. “Whenever Klay’s in there, we tend to have a volume of threes. Cooper also isn’t the only one; we rely on Christie to carry that load. When we’re healthy, we have quite a few guys who take threes,” he said.
Discussing lessons from the loss, Kidd emphasized Flagg’s focus on winning rather than stats. “He’s not about numbers. He competes to win. He tried to will his team into a win tonight. He continues to work to be out there and come back with this type of game,” Kidd said.
Finally, Kidd reflected on the NBA’s next generation. “This past class is special when you look at Cooper, Knueppel, and VJ [Edgecombe] in Philly, [Derik] Queen in New Orleans. The league has never been short of stars, and we’ve got quite a few young stars on their way,” he said.
Flagg scored 49 points with 10 rebounds, while Knueppel’s 34 points, including two clutch free throws, gave the Hornets a 123-121 victory. Dallas fell to 19-29, and Charlotte improved to 21-28 with their fifth consecutive win.
