The Jazz had it … and then they let it slip away.
Utah led by as many as 21 points before the Mavericks came storming back to
force overtime and eventually claim a 112-105 victory in Dallas Thursday night.
Playing the second leg of a back-to-back without George Hill (toe) and Rodney
Hood (knee), the Jazz (34-20) led by four with 21.4 seconds left, but the
Mavericks tied the game on a jumper by Dirk Nowitzki with 2.8 seconds left.
Gordon Hayward missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer, and the Jazz simply
ran out of gas in overtime.
Hayward led all scorers with 36 points (a new season high), while Rudy Gobert
finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds (and two blocks) for his 36th
double-double of the season. .
Joe Ingles added 16 points and five assists in the loss.
Harrison Barnes scored a team-high 31 points for the Mavericks (21-32). Nowitzki
added 20 points and seven rebounds.
Thursday’s Best
Hayward put the Jazz on his back with 36 points, and he added four rebounds,
three assists and a steal. He has now scored 30+ points in three of Utah’s past
four games, and eight times overall this season. Hayward shot 13-for-27 from the
field (including 4-for-10 from 3-point range) and 6-for-7 from the line.
Key Stretches
The Jazz trailed by seven midway through the second quarter until they caught
fire and went on a 23-2 run. Hayward hit a floater. Ingles drilled a 3-pointer.
Hayward banked in a runner. Ingles hit two more threes. Hayward buried another
jumper then sank three free throws. Joe Johnson capped the run with a corner
three. The Jazz would go on to build a 21-point lead early in the third quarter.
The Mavericks, though, clawed their way back throughout the second half before
tying the game late in the fourth. Despite Dallas’ momentum, the Jazz had a
chance to seal the victory in the final 30 seconds but couldn’t shut the door.
Ingles dished to Gobert for a go-ahead dunk with 39 seconds left. Johnson then
grabbed a steal and led the fast break, which ended in another slam by Gobert
with 21.4 seconds remaining. Gobert, though, fouled out and Barnes proceeded to
drive in for an uncontested dunk. Dallas’ full-court pressure forced a turnover
by Alec Burks, giving the Mavs a chance to tie with 15 seconds left. Barnes
missed his jumper, but the ball bounced straight to Nowitzki, who hit nothing
but net on a game-tying jumper with 2.8 seconds left. It was all Dallas the rest
of the way.
Significant Stat
27
The Jazz committed 21 turnovers, which led to 27 Dallas points. Gobert had five
turnovers, while Johnson and Dante Exum had four each.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“We let up mentally, and Dallas raised their level. Give them credit. They got
more physical, both offensively and defensively, and we turned the ball over.
… They’re a good team and they made plays. We had our opportunities and
weren’t able to close the game.”
Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
Dallas outscored Utah 56-34 in the paint and 15-4 on second-chance points. …
Shelvin Mack finished with three points and a team-high seven assists. … Burks
scored 12 points off the bench for the Jazz. … Utah shot 13-for-29 (44.8
percent) from 3-point range. … Former Jazz guards Wesley Matthews (15 points)
and Devin Harris (13 points) both scored in double figures for the Mavericks.
Up Next
The Jazz will return home to face the Boston Celtics on Saturday. Tipoff is set
for 8 p.m. MT, and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.
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