Just … wow.
Playing on national television (ESPN), the Utah Jazz blew a double-digit lead before taking down the always-tough Dallas Mavericks 103-100 on a last-second 3-pointer by Rodney Hood Friday night in Salt Lake City.
The Jazz (17-10) have now won 10 of their past 12 games.
Rudy Gobert scored a team-high 16 points, while Hood scored 15 points and grabbed two steals. Gordon Hayward filled up the box score with 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists, but he also had seven turnovers.
Trey Lyles gave the Jazz a boost off the bench, scoring seven of his 13 points in the third quarter. He added four rebounds, three assists and a block in 18 minutes.
Harrison Barnes led all scorers with 21 points for the Mavericks (6-20), while former Jazz guards Deron Williams (18 points, seven assists) and Wesley Matthews (13 points, three steals) also played well in the loss.
Friday’s Best
Gobert was all over the place once again, notching his 17th double-double of the season with 16 points and 10 rebounds (including three on the offensive glass). He went 4-for-7 from the field and shot an excellent 8-for-10 from the free-throw line. And besides his usual stifling defense throughout the game, he had a key block late in the fourth quarter after Dallas had erased Utah’s big lead.
Key Stretch
In a back-and-forth game—there were eight ties and six lead changes—it all came down to the final 24 seconds. The Mavericks erased a 15-point deficit to tie the game with 45 seconds left on a jumper by Barnes. After Hayward missed a wide-open layup, Dallas took possession with 24 seconds left and had a chance to win the game with a last-second shot. Instead of waiting for the clock to run all the way down, though, Williams took a contested three with eight seconds left. His shot was short, and Hood grabbed the rebound, sprinted up the floor and drilled the game-winner with only 0.8 left on the clock.
Significant Stats
+20
The Jazz donimated around the rim, outscoring the Mavericks 48-28 in the paint. Utah also outrebounded Dallas 41-27 and scored 12 second-chance points to Dallas’ three.
25
Utah’s carelessness with the ball kept this game from being a blowout. The Jazz committed 16 turnovers, which led to 25 Dallas points. In the fourth quarter, where the Jazz were outscored 23-13, the Mavericks didn’t commit a turnover, and they scored 11 points off of Utah’s seven turnovers.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“This is a big win for us. That’s a very, very good, veteran team. I know their record may not say that, but they’re as well-coached as anybody in the league. … It wasn’t pretty, but we kept ourselves there and in the end, players gotta make plays—and Rodney made a play.”
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
The Jazz shot 56.9 percent from the field. … Dante Exum and Shelvin Mack each scored 11 points. … 18 of Dallas’ 26 games have been against teams with winning records. … Dallas is now 1-12 on the road. … George Hill (toe) and Alec Burks (ankle) missed the game for the Jazz. Dirk Nowitzki (Achilles), Andrew Bogut (knee) and J.J. Barea (calf) were out for Dallas. … Seth Curry chipped in 13 points, five rebounds and four assists off the bench for Dallas. … Dallas shot 12-for-28 from 3-point range. The Jazz went 8-for-22. … Hayward passed Ricky Green and is now No. 10 on Utah’s all-time scoring list.
Up Next
The Jazz will hit the road to face the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday. Tipoff is set for 4 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
