Mavericks Late-Game Comeback Falls Short, Jazz Lead Series 1-0

Photo Retrieved via Mavs Moneyball

The shorthanded Dallas Mavericks suffered a tough loss to the Utah Jazz in a 99-93 defeat. 

Superstar guard Luka Dončić was not available for Saturday’s game due to a calf strain he suffered in Dallas’ season finale. 

The Mavericks came out the gates sluggish, trailing Utah 8-2 in the opening minutes. Things quickly changed as Spencer Dinwiddie and Jalen Brunson began to find success scoring in the paint. 

Dwight Powell was a force defensively as he tallied two blocks and minimized Rudy Gobert’s impact through the first two quarters.

Bojan Bogdanovic gave Dallas problems as he shot 8-11 from the field and scored 20 points in the first half. Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert struggled, on the other hand, shooting a combined 1-10 from the field and scoring just seven points. 

This did not continue any longer as Mitchell opened the second half of play scoring 13 quick points on 4-6 shooting. The Jazz would go on to lead by as much as 12 points in the third.

The Jazz seemed to be pulling away from the Mavericks entering the fourth, but a handful of team fouls put Dallas on the line. They lowered their deficit to eight entering the fourth.

An early bonus and multiple fouls once again helped Dallas stay in the game, managing to even bring the game within one point at 91-92 off of a Maxi Kleber three. These would unfortunately be the last meaningful points scored by the Mavericks as the Jazz closed the game on a 5-2 run. 

Dallas struggled heavily with rebounding, grabbing just 34 compared to Utah’s 53. They were also bested on the offensive glass, 13 to 7 in favor of Utah. 

“We gotta rebound the ball,” said head coach Jason Kidd after the game. “We got them to miss, we just have to do a better job. We knew that was gonna be an issue, especially playing small. But I thought the guys fought, that’s just something we’ve gotta get better at.”

Neither team shot the ball particularly well, with the Mavs shooting 38.2% from the field for the game and just 28.1% from three. They also shot 26/34 from the free-throw line, an aspect Spencer Dinwiddie touched on after the game. 

“We lost by six and I missed six free throws,” he said. “We were right there. If anything this should be encouraging for the fanbase in my opinion. We were disappointed in the locker room. We had a chance to win it and we just didn’t do it. Myself obviously first and foremost.”

Jalen Brunson led all Mavericks with 24 points on 9-24 shooting. Spencer Dinwiddie followed suit with 22 points on 6-15 shooting and led Dallas with eight assists. 

Donovan Mitchell finished with 32 points on 10/29 shooting (34.5%) and Rudy Gobert finished with five points, 17 rebounds, and three blocks. 

The Mavericks will take on the Jazz again on Monday in Dallas and look to even the series before heading to Utah next Thursday.