Health, Defense, Chemistry can push the Mavs for a big finishing blow

In the Mavericks’ first practice since the All-Star break, Jason Kidd was bombarded with questions about Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic.

And how the two fit together is sure to be a big factor for the Mavericks.

But there are plenty of other things on Kidd’s to-do list to decide as they start the post-break sprint towards the regular season finish.

Basically the clock is ticking as the Mavericks recover and figure out how to play their best basketball during the playoffs.

“Yes, this is a great time for this (finishing) blow,” Kidd said. “We have 22 games left, and it’s a luxury to play six of them at home at once. You really can’t see it when you come out of a break to have such a native stance. So that’s a big support for us.”

Six in a row at home, starting in San Antonio on Thursday. The Mavericks then have 10 of 13 follow-up games on the road, followed by three games at the American Airlines Center to end the regular season.

Irving and Doncic were both in training on Wednesday after completing their All-Star duties, and their short rest break was over.

Kidd said the two stars will continue to explore each other’s nuances. They will overcome the situational problems they had in their first two games together before the break, when both relied too much on the other.

I hope this is over, Kidd said.

Now it’s about fun, competition and becoming a real team, he stressed.

“It’s different because the break was later in the schedule,” Kidd said. “This is the first time I’ve seen such a late break with only 22 games left. Everything will be different, because in the West everyone is huddled together. There are teams that have gotten better. Every game will mean something.”

And while Kairi and Luka are getting to know each other, there are two more important areas that need to be addressed:

Health: The Mavericks will be without Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans at the start of this home stand.

And Kidd couldn’t make any promises about Kleber’s return. He has been out since December 13 following hamstring surgery.

“Maxi did some running, did a really good job,” Kidd said of Wednesday’s workout. “But Maxi and Davis are out tomorrow (against San Antonio) and we’ll just see how Max feels after a day of practice.”

Could he play at home?

“We’ll see,” he said. “This is not a guarantee. Again, about how he feels. So we’ll just see how it goes. It would be great to bring him back to our homeland, but there is no guarantee that he will be ready for work.”

Bertans was out of action with a left calf strain.

Injuries belong to the second problem area.

Defense: The Mavericks know they’re going to be an attacking team with two prolific scorers like Irving and Doncic. But they need to find some defensive traction if they’re going to be serious about the playoffs.

“Yeah, I think you just have to pay attention to the details, understand the defense,” Kidd said. “Sometimes you have to give up something to get something. We believe that our ability to score will put pressure on the opposition, but we also need to stop the opposition. And we know it. The break came at the right time so we could regroup and rebuild our defenses.”

And the return of Kleber can help with this. As well as the addition of Justin Holiday, who signed with the Mavericks before the All-Star break following a buyout from Houston.

Kidd is clearly looking forward to seeing defensive players on the court after Dorian Finney-Smith, the team’s best clean guard, had to go through a deal to get Irving.

“I’m excited to have Maxi back,” said Dwight Powell. “Obviously Do-Dou is a guy we have relied on for a long time and he was a great player in the system so we will miss him.

“But the situation is the way it is and we are happy that the guys we have are in the locker room right now. And Maxi will be a huge additional force on both ends of the court. But, as I said, we have to work with what we have in every moment, and this is what we have been doing and will continue to do.”

As Kidd said of Kleber, “It’s important because of his ability to defend in multiple positions, his willingness to play defense sometimes without looking at the basket on offense, it gives us the luxury of being able to play with Maxi and Luka and Kai there. I hope when he returns he will help us. Right now we are not trying to get Maxi to do everything defensively, but we miss Maxi and hope he comes back soon.”

Supporting friends: Many of the Mavericks traveled to exotic countries for the All-Star break. Kleber and Powell traveled to Arizona to support their teammate and good friend Josh Green.

Green was enrolled in the honorary circle of the University of Arizona.

“Maxie and I got the chance to go to Tucson and watch Josh (enter) the ring of honor,” Powell said. “It’s pretty cool that he was only there for a year. But obviously he left his mark and did a great job.

“And his (playing for Australia) national team, you know, which also represents the university. So it was great to see him and his family being so honored.”

Pace and playing time: The Mavericks staff discussed how to increase the team’s pace of play. They were one of the slowest teams in the league, but the addition of Irving would give Kidd plenty of options to develop further.

“There will be different speeds,” he said. “That’s the way we are. But that doesn’t mean we can’t play fast with forward throws, the ability to get out and run. I think when we’re talking about Josh and Holiday, those guys can get out and run, and with Kai and LD and their ability to rush forward, we can try a little harder.”

The other aspect of Irving’s arrival is that he might give Kidd a chance to give Luka a little more rest. There were many games where the point guard played the whole or almost the whole second half.

“Now we have that luxury with Luka,” Kidd said. “We have to get him out at some point. There will be times when we can push him to play the whole fourth part.

“But we have a luxury: Kai can separate these two, so that Kai will start the fourth and lead this group.”

Twitter: @ESefko