Call to Action: Mavericks Require Major Changes After Jazz Defeat
As the only game in the books, all eyes were on Salt Lake City on Thursday for a matchup between the Dallas Mavericks and Utah Jazz. As two teams with vastly different expectations this season, you might think the score would have been lopsided in favor of the reigning Western Conference champions. Instead, the Utah Jazz pulled off an upset win (115-113) to send the Mavericks two games below .500 (5-7).
John Collins was the leading scorer for the Jazz with 28 points (10-20 FG), 9 rebounds, and 3 assists in 35:30 minutes of action. he held help from Colin Sexton in the backcourt, who dropped 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists on 7-12 shooting. Jordan Clarkson had 20 points off the bench to go with 4 rebounds and 4 assists on 3-9 shooting from three.
For the Mavericks, who were without Kyrie Irving, Luka Doncic was the star of the show with 37 points, 9 assists, and 7 rebounds on 13-25 shooting. Quentin Grimes contributed 15 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds on 55.6% shooting. Klay Thompson totaled 17 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists on 5-13 shooting from three.
It was close in the beginning until the Jazz made a run and took a big lead in the second half. There was a moment there in the final frame when the Mavericks re-took control of the game thanks to a massive run but it wasn’t enough to get the win and the game itself exposed several key areas of weakness for the team.
Mavericks Are Getting Torched On Defense
The biggest culprit for the Mavericks’ struggles this season has been their efforts on defense. Tonight, they continued the trend by allowing the Jaz to shoot 50.6% from the field and 38.2% from three. For the season, the Mavericks rank 13th in defensive rating with an average of 112.6 points per game.
