The Dallas Mavericks were defeated by the New York Knicks on Tuesday night, losing 128-113. Despite the defeat, the Mavericks saw Naji Marshall set a new career-high with 38 points. Mavs head coach Jason Kidd reacted to Marshall's play following the game.
“Naji was great,” Kidd said. “He kept us in that first half, he was playing at a high level.”
The Mavs and Knicks were tied 68-68 at the half. Anthony Davis returned from injury on Monday against the Brooklyn Nets, however, he did not play on Tuesday. The Mavericks were still playing a competitive brand of basketball against the Knicks.
Things began to fall apart in the third quarter, however. The Knicks ultimately took control and did not look back.
Nevertheless, Marshall has been playing well in recent action. He is doing everything he can to help his team. Marshall credited his hard work for his recent success.
“Staying in the gym,” Marshall said. “Being aggressive… Taking what the defense gives me.”
Naji Marshall making significant impact on Mavericks
The 27-year-old is averaging 13.5 points per game on 50.9 percent shooting from the field. He is also recording per game averages of 4.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.1 steals per outing. The Mavs will need Marshall to continue to play at high level as they attempt to clinch an NBA Play-In Tournament position.
The Mavericks are now 1-1 on their current four-game road trip. They will travel to Orlando to play the Magic on Thursday before finishing the trip on Saturday against the Chicago Bulls. Dallas would love to win at least two games –if not three — before heading back home. The good news is that Anthony Davis could play on Thursday, something he told reporters following the Mavericks' 120-101 victory against the Nets on Monday night.
The Mavericks and Magic will go head-to-head on Thursday night at 7 PM EST.
