by Alma Bean
Feature Image by LM Otero of AP Photo
The Utah Jazz (7-13) takes on the Dallas Mavericks (11-8) on a short one-game road trip.
I’m Having Flashbacks
The first quarter looked like a pregame shootaround for Dallas. Felt as if anyone who touched the ball for Dallas was going to make their shot. Shooting 16/29 (55.2%) from the field and 7/15 (46.7%) from the perimeter, Dallas got every shot they wanted. Simone Fontecchio (7/2/3) did what he could in the first quarter on both ends of the court not only shooting 2/2 (100%) from the field but even providing pressure in the paint getting a block in the process. Even with his efforts, Kyrie Irving (26/3/4) looked like he was playing against children as he was able to shoot 5/5 (100%) from the field and helped propel Dallas to a 40-29 lead at the end of the quarter.
During the second quarter, Utah ended up on the wrong side of history once again. Luka Doncic (40/10/11) shot lights out in the first half shooting 10/17 (58.8%) from the field including 6/10 (60%) from the perimeter. Along with earning 10 rebounds and 10 assists that Doncic became the fifth player in NBA history to have a triple-double in the first half. Utah sent multiple players to try and stop Doncic but anything that came his way, he had an answer for. Even with an 11-0 run midway through the quarter led by rookie Dereck Lively II (10/4/1), who shot 5/5 (100%) in the quarter, Dallas went into the half with a 74-53 lead.
All-American Blues
Going into the second half, Utah looked a little defeated on the court down by 21 points. Even with feeling defeated, this opened the door for Taylor Hendricks (10 points and 2 rebounds). Between find good looks along the perimeter, zero hesitation in his jump shot while being contested and going in for a transition contact dunk made Utah fans excited for his growth. With one rookie excelling offensively, another began to digress throughout the game in Keyonte George (7/4/11). After it had looked like his shooting was starting to trend upward, George shot 1/7 (14.3%) by the end of the third quarter with only one more shot made afterwards. Utah looked to stay stagnant as the third quarter ended going into the final quarter trailing 109-74.
Going into the final quarter, you could call this game over with 12 minutes left. Dallas pulled all of their starters going into the quarter and provided guys like Jaden Hardy (8/3/4) minutes to show the league their talents. Utah matched that with guys like Luka Samanic (2 points 1 rebound) who has barely seen the court this year. Even with the tail ends of each team’s bench playing, Utah managed to still be outscored by 15 points in the fourth quarter 38-23. With the NBA being a league where you can’t focus too much on bad losses, but it will be difficult to look past the second worst loss in Utah Jazz history 147-97.
What’s Next
Utah will make their way back home as they welcome the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday on ESPN.
The Hive Sports 
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