On Saturday night in Portland, with his team running on fumes after a gutty double overtime win in Los Angeles, Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd’s actions told the world he does not believe he can field a competitive lineup containing JaVale McGee.
With Maxi Kleber out indefinitely and Christian Wood out for the game due to an ankle injury suffered in overtime against the Los Angeles Lakers, Kidd had limited frontcourt options. Choosing to start Dwight Powell was a given. Yet it was unclear how Kidd would respond to Powell getting into foul trouble in the second quarter.