The Mavericks visit the Thunder on Tuesday in an NBA Cup quarterfinal matchup. The winner goes to Las Vegas for the semifinals, the loser gets knocked out of the tournament.
“I think it’s great to be able to play to go to Vegas tomorrow,” coach Jason Kidd said, per Eddie Sefko of Mavs.com. “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.”
Dereck Lively, who played at Duke, compares it to an NCAA Tournament game.
“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,” he said.
We have more on the Mavs:
- Quentin Grimes says that being teammates with veteran guard Klay Thompson has been a learning experience. “Watching Klay has been huge for me,” Grimes told Grant Afseth in a Sportskeeda post. “Whether he’s having a great shooting night or a rough one, he has no conscience—he keeps shooting like it’s going to go in every time. That’s big for shooters like me. Seeing his consistency and his mentality, where every shot is taken with confidence, has helped me focus on impacting the game and trusting my work. The shots will fall because of the effort you put in.” Grimes, a restricted free agent after the season, is shooting a career-best 42.3% from 3-point range.
- Olivier-Maxence Prosper continues to have a limited role in his second NBA season. The 24th pick of the 2023 draft has seen 10 minutes of action in the last two games and looks to build off of that. “My game is predicated on energy and effort,” Prosper told Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “When I come in, I try to impact game in those ways. I feel like now, every day, whether I’m playing or not playing, is a growth opportunity for me. What I see out there, I try to apply when I get on the court. It’s a long season, a long journey, and I stay the course and learn every game, whether or not I’m playing.”
- ICYMI, Luka Doncic was named Western Conference Player of the Week. Get the details here.
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