The Jazz were up early in Dallas. And then they were behind. And then way behind. And then (thanks to a late comeback) not-so-way behind. And then the game ended, with them still behind–102-93 to be exact. In the end, the Mavericks won their sixth straight game, putting an end to Utah’s two-game winning streak in the process.
Utah led 26-21 after one quarter, then fell behind by as many as 20 (in the third quarter) before closing the gap to as few as five late in the game.
Gordon Hayward scored a team-high 22 points for the Jazz (6-6). Derrick Favors added 18 points, while Alec Burks and Rodney Hood scored 15 and 13 points, respectively.
Former Jazz point guard Deron Williams had his best game of the season with 23 points, six rebounds, eight assists and three steals. Dirk Nowitzki didn’t score in the first quarter, but then scored 17 of his 19 points in the second and third quarters to help Dallas (9-4) take control of the game.
Zaza Pachulia double-doubled with 15 points and 12 rebounds. Wesley Matthews, another former Jazz player, struggled from the field–he went 3-for-12 overall and 0-for-8 from beyond the arc.
Highlights
Friday’s Best
Hayward continued his run of (mostly) strong play, leading the Jazz in scoring and also dishing out a team-high four assists. He was an efficient 8-for-14 from the field (including 2-for-4 from 3-point range) and added seven rebounds and a steal in the loss.
Key Stretch
The Jazz pulled within five at 92-87 before Williams and Matthews made sure their former team wouldn’t pull off the comeback. Williams curled around a screen and hit nothing but net on a 3-pointer with 2:01 left, and then, on the Mavericks’ next possession, Matthews drove into the lane and banked in a runner while drawing a foul. He hit his free throw to cap the three-point play and give Dallas a 98-89 lead.
Williams then knocked down two free throws and, after a Jazz miss, drove in and kicked the ball out to Nowtizki, who swished a 20-footer to push the lead to 102-91 with just 35 seconds remaining.
Significant Stat
Dallas took good care of the ball, committing only nine turnovers (which led to six Utah points). The Jazz, on the other hand, turned the ball over 17 times, leading to 14 points for the Mavericks.
Notable
Williams has not missed a free throw this season (he’s a perfect 35-for-35). … Trevor Booker was whistled for five fouls in only 15 minutes. … The Jazz went 17-for-21 (81 percent) from the free-throw line. … Two other former Jazz players–Devin Harris and Jeremy Evans–combined to scored two points (both by Harris).
Up Next
The Jazz will return home to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT.
