Last night, the Mavericks defeated the Memphis Grizzlies 91-76 with Jason Kidd scoring 18 points, with 7 of 12 shooting and only 6 assists.

I remember when Kidd was traded to Dallas, he was expected to distribute the ball for other players to get easy baskets. He wasn't expected to be a scorer. As a result, he wasn't taking open shots that he should have taken making it easier to defend against the Mavs offense.

This season has been different so far. Kidd is taking shots when he's open. Dishing out a little less, he's averaging less than 8.1 assists per game compared to 10.4 when he left New Jersey. But because he's taking his shots, defenses have to defend his shots, making it easier for others players to get open shots. His shooting percentage is also up from his last season with the Nets, 36.6% to this year's 46.8%.

Continue reading "Dallas Mavericks beat Memphis Grizzlies as Jason Kidd is becoming a scoring threat"

On Monday 11/24/08, Dirk was named the Western Conference Player of the Week. He averaged a double-double with 27.0 points and 10.3 rebounds. He led the Mavs with wins over the Charlotte Bobcats, Houston Rockets, and Memphis Grizzlies for a perfect 3-0 week.

This is only the 9th time that Dirk has earned this award. The Mavs needs him to keep this up if they want to keep winning. Maybe Josh Howard being out is good for the team?

Continue reading "Dirk Nowitzki earned the Western Conference Player of the Week"