by Alma Bean
Feature Image: Photo by Ryan Sun of Deseret News.
The Utah Jazz (27-27) takes on the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks (28-26) in their final meeting in Utah this season.
Do Not Doubt the Underdog
The first quarter started off hot for Walker Kessler (13/9/1). Kessler shot 3/4 (75%) from the field with his only miss being a dunk attempt that look like an easy poster if he was able to put it in. With Jarred Vanderbilt out for injury, Utah coach Will Hardy tried out a player from the bench that has only had 71 minutes (4.2 MPG) this season. Udoka Azubuike (2 rebounds) gave Utah more length in the paint but that’s about all you can say about his time on the court. Without Luka Doncic facilitating the ball, Dallas pushed the ball to the perimeter and was only able to shoot 2/9 (22.2%) for the quarter. Utah finished the quarter shooting 6/43/100 for the quarter along with the lead, 37-25.
After a lackluster shooting quarter for Dallas, they came out ready in the second quarter. Shooting 7/11 (63.6%) from the perimeter behind Tim Hardaway Jr. (17/3/2) and Jaden Hardy (29/4/4) each shooting 2/3 (66.7%), Utah tried to respond the same way. Unfortunately for Utah, they fell very short shooting 1/9 (11.1%) from the perimeter with the only three coming from Ochai Agbaji (3 points). With Utah’s inability to respond to Dallas, including an 11-0 that started at the end of the first quarter, Utah’s lead was cut down to 62-60 at the half.
End of the Streak
To start the second half Utah put an emphasis on perimeter defense but neglected their presence in the paint. Dallas went from 6/15 (40%) in the second quarter to 7/11 (636.6%) in the third within the perimeter. Josh Green (29/6/2) was a major contributor for Dallas scoring 12 of his points in the third quarter. Utah’s response was allowing Jordan Clarkson (26/4/2) to try and dig them out of their deficit. Unfortunately, this didn’t work out too well for Clarkson or Utah as he shot 0/6 (0%) from the field and got his three points all from the free-throw line. With Dallas outscoring Utah 29-23 in the third, Dallas went into the final quarter with the lead 89-85.
With the lead just out of grasp, Utah needed to lock things down in the fourth. Utah turned to the veterans to get them out of tis rut by any means necessary. Mike Conley (10/1/11) was able to rack up his fifth double-double of the season along with an impressive spin move resulting in a bucket. Even with Utah shooting 8/9 (88.9%) within the perimeter, Dwight Powell (12/16/2) was arguably the most impactful player for Dallas this game. Dallas finished the game with 17 offensive rebounds with eight of them coming from Powell. Lauri Markkanen (19 points and 7 rebounds tried to be the hero that Utah needed, but a crucial overturned call that would eventually lead to Markkanen’s sixth and final foul put the nail in the coffin. Markkanen fouling out prevented him from continuing his streak for most consecutive games with 20 points or more at 20 straight games. After a tremendous start from Utah, Dallas comes back from behind and takes the season series 2-1 as they win 124-111.
Utah Jazz on Twitter: “Rudy Gay puttin’ it away 🗂 https://t.co/MjulK0aY9j” / Twitter
What’s Next
Utah will take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday in their final home game before the All-Star break.