As the Dallas Mavericks roll along on one of the hottest stretches of any NBA team, their offense continues to be the catalyst.

Jason Kidd has made leading that offense look easy.

The Mavs (47-19) have won 20 of their past 24 games and J-Kidd has been doing what he does best—dishing assists.

Over the past 10 games, No. 2 has been averaging nine dimes per game. Jason’s selflessness has been contagious for the Mavericks, who rank third in the league at 23.6 assists per game. Over the last 10, they top the league with 25.9 per contest.

Bryan Gutierrez of Mavs Moneyball goes a little deeper:

During their recent eight-game winning streak (February 12-March 6), the Mavericks were averaging 28.3 assists/game. The average during the win streak is a really high number and you would want to continue that for as long as you possibly can.

"We move the ball well," Coach Rick Carlisle said when discussing the uptick in assists during their winning streak. "We are an unselfish team. I think they’d be even higher if our defense was a little better, because we would get some more uncontested type plays."

The Mavs used that advantage on Thursday night as they out-assisted the New York Knicks by seven and won easily, 127-109. Jason finished that game with eight assists to five different players.

He got the Mavs going in the first with three dimes as they escaped an early deficit to pull away with the lead.

The Knicks jumped out to a 6-0 edge, but J-Kidd found Dirk Nowitzki with a pass that Dirk converted into Dallas’ first points of the night. That sparked a 10-4 Mavs run that Roddy Beaubois capped with a triple off Jason’s second feed of the game. The three tied the game at 10 and after New York briefly jumped ahead again, 14-12, the Mavs went on a 12-0 run and never looked back.

Jason had a dime during that run, then two more in the second as Dallas pushed its lead above 20. In the third, he handed out back-to-back helpers to Beaubois and Haywood.

The dish to Haywood was the product of a beautiful save and heave from the sideline going out of bounds. Jason fired the pass into the post before he stepped out and Haywood finished with a finger roll. That bucket put Dallas back up by 25 and they cruised to victory.

NO CARRYOVER
The Mavs carried the momentum of their thumping of New York into a Saturday night game with the Lakers, but couldn’t duplicate their success.

That wasn’t, however, due to a lack of effort by the offense. J-Kidd dished out nine assists on the evening and NBA Playbook’s, Sebastian Pruiti broke down two plays during the game that perfectly exemplify how Dallas’ ball movement produces points.

Jason got his first dime early, when he found Shawn Marion driving to the hoop at the four-minute mark that knotted the game at 10 in the first quarter.

After another layup from Marion, J-Kidd found Jason Terry for a short jumper to give the Mavs their first lead of the night, 14-13. But by the end of the opening period, Dallas found themselves down by one, 22-21.

After being outscored 28-23 in the second and taking a six-point deficit into the locker room, Jason got the Mavs going in the third.

He first fed Dirk Nowitzki on back-to-back 18-foot jumpers and then nailed a triple of his own from the right wing to pull the Mavs to within five points, 56-51. On Dallas’ next possession, Jason went back to Dirk for another mid-range J.

Late in the third, Jason capped a 7-2 run with a layup to get Dallas to within just two points. But the Lakers answered with an 8-2 run of their own to go into the final frame leading 73-65. Carlisle noted that the Mavs just couldn’t quite get over the top when it came to taking and building a lead.

"As we worked to get back into it, it seemed that every time we were right there, there was a second chance opportunity that they were able to get or an untimely turnover," he said. "We just never got over the hump."

Jason was also matched up for most of the game with LA’s Ron Artest, a tough matchup for any point guard.

"They’re the champs, so they are tough no matter who you have to guard," Kidd said. "But, at the end of the day, you look at the position. I’m a point guard guarding a small forward who is really a power forward, so, you know. I’ll guard anybody, and so that’s the way I look at it.

"I was down there wrestling, I’m a little outweighed. I just tried to make it tough, but I got in foul trouble early, never got into a rhythm, but it’s a lesson learned to see what I can do a little differently not to commit those fouls."

In the game’s final two minutes, No. 2 dished three more assists in a last-ditch attempt to get his squad back into the game. But it was one of those nights in which the Mavs were unable to take control, and they dropped a hard-fought game, 96-91.

To go along with his nine assists, Jason had five points, four rebounds, two steals and a block. The loss moved LA to within a half game of Dallas for the No. 2 seed in the West. But Carlisle said he was still happy with his team’s effort:

"It’s a tough loss, obviously it’s a game that had meaning," he said. "I’m disappointed with the outcome, but not the effort."

JASON KIDD FOUNDATION
Throughout the year Jason works hard with his foundation to help give back to those in need.

On Friday, Jason left an impression on students at KIPP DFW in Dallas. Eddie Sefko of The Dallas Morning News explained:

"Jason Kidd is a self-proclaimed "boring speaker,” but he doesn’t give himself enough credit when it comes to talking with young people.

The words he supplied on Friday afternoon in south Dallas won’t ever be forgotten by the kids at KIPP DFW school.

Kidd talked about being respectful and never being too embarrassed to stand up for what you believe. And the 300 5th through 8th graders surrounding him on an outdoor basketball court couldn’t have been more respectful.

The Jason Kidd Foundation, which formed a partnership with the school at Lancaster and Kiest, donated $10,000 to the college preparatory school, whose initials stand for Knowledge Is Power Program.

"We felt we could raise some money and give the kids the tools to be successful,” Kidd said. "We’re trying to bring some awareness to it. To see them outside on a beautiful day reading a book, rather than playing a video game or whatever, it’s great.”

To read the complete article, click here. Also check out the Jason Kidd Foundation’s website.

NEXT UP
Jason and the Mavs will be looking to get back into the win column tonight when they head to Portland to take on the Trail Blazers.

J-Kidd said with just a small stretch of games left in the season, the Mavs can’t worry about what other teams do in terms of their seeding and can only concern themselves with their own games.

"We’ve got to finish out these

[16] games and go from there," he told ESPN Dallas. "You can’t worry about if you’re 2 or 3."

The Mavericks certainly won’t let one loss get them down:

"We’ve seen it all," No. 2 said. "We don’t panic. We’ve got a bunch of guys who understand that we have a great opportunity here. And it’s going to take all of us."

Tonight’s tip-off in Portland is scheduled for 9:00 p.m. CST and the game will be televised locally on KTXA and nationally on NBA TV.

RELATED STORIES