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The Mavericks lost their fourth straight game, falling to the Jazz 120-101. It was a disheartening effort on the part of Dallas, who once again showed a level of lethargy and recklessness rarely seen by a professional basketball team. The team has a tough schedule and terrible luck with health, but at some point they have to show up and play basketball at a high level. Or maybe at least a competitor.
The offense was scrappy to start the game as the Mavericks could only score 12 points in the first quarter. The Jazz, however, had no problem getting buckets, hitting seven 3-pointers on their way to 37 points in the opening frame. This was despite the absence of their star Donovan Mitchell, out for the second consecutive game due to concussion protocols. Dallas hit back in the second, reducing the deficit to 16, but Utah hit back in the third, edging the Mavericks ten with another barrage of deep shots.
Not much has changed in the fourth. Luka Doncic put up a respectable line of 25 points, six rebounds and seven assists. Bojan Bogdanovic led the way for the Jazz, scoring 32 points and shooting 7 of 11 from deep.
It gets repetitive, but the same issues haunt this team from game to game. Much can be solved by effort; a game would be solved by falling shots, which according to percentages will eventually happen. So, if everything discussed below sounds familiar to you, it is. Here are three things from another demoralizing loss in Jazz.
Kristaps Porzingis is in a bad, bad place.
Porzingis had a terrible first half – 1 in 4 from the field, three points and three rebounds. He also had three fouls and quickly picked up two within two minutes of the third quarter. Porzingis got a run in the fourth quarter when the game was already decided, eventually finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds.
There is much to complain about with Porzingis. He doesn’t shoot well, don’t do much on defense, or rebound at all. The Mavericks brought him to Dallas to be the second star and carry the goal load when Doncic is seated. He doesn’t do that and can’t influence the game when he’s not scoring. The Mavericks can only hope his shooting form returns soon, as they need all the help they can get now.
The rebounding woes of the Mavericks continue.
Dallas was pummeled on the boards, as the Jazz overtook the Mavericks 56-40. They were particularly crushed on the defensive end, giving up 17 offensive rebounds while catching just eight themselves. It is not due to the size of the roster or the talent. The Mavericks were fourth in the NBA in a rebounding team last season. Most of that list came back this year.
The difference is the level of exertion, which has been mentioned enough. They don’t have to win the battle that bounces back every night, but they can’t lose it that much. At some point, they have to show some pride and attack every stray ball like it’s Game 7 of a playoff series.
3-point shooting buried the Mavericks early
The Jazz hit their 3 points, and the Mavericks didn’t. It’s that simple.
Utah shot 41 percent from behind the arc, while Dallas only hit 27 percent. At some point, the Mavericks need to keep their opponents at a reasonable percentage of depth and take their own shots. Doncic prepares Mavericks shooters for a great appearance. They just don’t fall. Maybe that will change in the future, but for now Dallas will be struggling to win if they don’t reverse their fortunes from the 3-point line.
The Mavericks don’t have much time to figure out how to right the ship. They’re back in Dallas tomorrow night to face the Suns at 8 p.m. CST.
here is the post-match podcast, Mavs Moneyball After Dark. If you can’t see the integration below “More Mavs Moneyball”, Click here. And if you haven’t yet, subscribe by searching for “Mavs Moneyball podcast” in your favorite podcast app.
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