Wow. Just … wow.
After trailing by 15 in the first half, the Utah Jazz rallied back in the fourth quarter, forced overtime, and then broke the Mavericks’ hearts when Gordon Hayward drilled a step-back jumper at the buzzer to give Utah a 121-119 win in Dallas.
The victory–easily the biggest for the Jazz so far this season–was Utah’s seventh straight, and broke a 10-game losing streak in Dallas that dated back to January 9, 2010.
Rodney Hood forced overtime with a fadeaway 3-pointer with 1.5 seconds left in regulation. Then, with 4.2 seconds left in the extra period and the game tied 119-119, Hayward took the inbounds pass, dribbled around the top of the key, jab stepped toward the rim, and then stepped back a calmly sank his jumper over Zaza Pachulia as time expired to give Utah the win.
Hood led the way with a game-high 29 points, while Hayward added 20 points on 8-for-20 shooting (after starting the game 2-for-12). Rudy Gobert double-doubled with 14 points and 10 rebounds, and Derrick Favors added 16 points.
Trey Lyles burned past Dirk Nowitzki for several layups en route to 11 points off the bench, and Trevor Booker scored all eight of his points (on 4-for-4 shooting) in the third quarter to help keep the Jazz (26-25) in the game.
Chandler Parsons scored a team-high 24 points for Dallas (29-26), while former Jazz point guard Deron Williams added 23 points and shot 11-for-13 from the free-throw line.
Nowitzki (17 points), former Jazz guard Wesley Matthews (16 points) and Raymond Felton (16 points) also scored in double figures for the Mavs.
Tuesday’s Best
It’s tough to top the amazing plays by Hood and Hayward, but Favors was a huge reason the game was close at all. He scored all 16 of his points after halftime and added eight rebounds, six assists and a steal.
Specifically, Favors went 5-for-6 from the field for 11 points in the fourth quarter. He threw down a reverse dunk, converted a three-point play, made a layup, drilled a baseline jumper, and hit another jumper from the free-throw line to give Utah a 103-102 lead with 1:20 left.
Key Stretch
The Jazz trailed by 10 with 10:22 left in the fourth quarter before they quickly erased Dallas’ lead. Favors scored seven straight points and added another bucket (after a free throw by Hayward) to cut the lead to 92-88. Chris Johnson hit two free throws, Lyles blew by Nowitzki (for the third time) for a layup, and Hayward threw in a leapin’ leaner to cap Utah’s 14-4 run and tie the game at 94-94 with 6:29 left.
The two teams traded baskets–with both teams taking a three-point lead at times–before Hood’s clutch 3-pointer forced overtime.
(Important note: Really, if you have access to it, the whole fourth quarter and overtime were must-see TV–gritty, exciting basketball from both teams.)
Significant Stat
The Jazz grabbed 13 offensive rebounds, which led to 17 second-chance points. Dallas, on the other hand, had only six offensive rebounds and two second-chance points. Favors, Gobert, Booker and Johnson each had three offensive rebounds, which highlighted a high-effort game for the Jazz.
Coach’s Quote of the Night
“Having been down the whole game, you feel like once you get the lead and then lose it, it’s a little demoralizing. … But it’s a credit to our guys. I think we’re learning more and more how to make winning plays. … The key, to me, is we’re making the right plays. Gordon made the right play, and he made the shot. The resolve that he had to get the ball and create that shot was terrific.”
–Jazz head coach Quin Snyder
Notable
Trey Burke (flu) missed his second straight game. … The Jazz went 48-for-92 (52.2 percent) from the field. … Raul Neto fouled out in 19 minutes. He finished with eight points on 3-for-4 shooting. … The Mavericks were money from the line, going 36-for-41 (87.8 percent) as a team. … The Jazz trailed from the 9:45 mark of the first quarter until the 6:29 mark of the fourth quarter. … Joe Ingles hit two 3-pointers and finished with six points.
Up Next
The Jazz will travel to New Orleans to face the Pelicans tomorrow night in the second leg of their back-to-back set. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. MT.
