The Dallas Mavericks are slowly pushing their way up the ladder as the regular season comes to an end. They managed to upset the Utah Jazz 105-115 despite giving them a couple of leads until the start of the fourth quarter. Luka Doncic had a couple of brilliant baskets towards the end that helped them extend their lead to as much as 13 points.
The Luka Doncic to Daniel Gafford connection never gets old. 🪜
— Abby Jones (@_abigaiiiil) March 26, 2024
Turnovers may have been to the Jazz’s disadvantage. However, they managed to keep things extremely tight without giving much of a gap in scoring to the Mavericks. Now, the Mavericks have moved to the 6th seed in the Western Conference. Sacramento and Phoenix have now assumed Play-In berths.
Dallas Mavericks player stats
The Mavericks tried their luck on both sides of the floor. It wasn’t much of a performance from beyond the arc as they shot only 28.6% on 42 attempts. They averaged 47.8% from the field and 83.3% from the free throw line. Doncic finished with a triple-double of 29 points, 12 rebounds, and 13 assists.
Player | Minutes | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
Daniel Gafford | 29 | 13 | 5 | 11 |
Luka Doncic | 41 | 29 | 13 | 12 |
Kyrie Irving | 36 | 27 | 5 | 3 |
PJ Washington | 31 | 16 | 1 | 4 |
Derrick Jones Jr. | 18 | 6 | 0 | 1 |
Tim Hardaway Jr. | 29 | 13 | 4 | 2 |
Dereck Lively II | 18 | 6 | 0 | 9 |
Maxi Kleber | 18 | 2 | 0 | 3 |
Dante Exum | 16 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
Kyrie Irving shot 4-9 from the three-point arc while recording 27 points, 3 rebounds, and 5 assists. PJ Washington contributed 16 points in 31 minutes while Daniel Gafford had 13 points and 11 rebounds along with 5 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. led the bench with 13 points and 3 steals. Gafford was impressive on defense, recording 2 steals and 5 blocks.
Utah Jazz player stats
It wasn’t like the Jazz didn’t try, they just needed a nudge to push past the Mavericks. But their efforts just weren’t enough. Utah shot 42.5% from the field, 33.3% from deep, and 81.8% from the free throw line.
Player | Minutes | Points | Assists | Rebounds |
John Collins | 31 | 21 | 2 | 11 |
Keyonte George | 35 | 6 | 6 | 5 |
Lauri Markkanen | 34 | 34 | 2 | 7 |
Collin Sexton | 29 | 20 | 6 | 2 |
Taylor Hendricks | 29 | 8 | 1 | 6 |
Jordan Clarkson | 33 | 4 | 8 | 4 |
Walker Kessler | 17 | 9 | 0 | 4 |
Brice Sensabaugh | 16 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
Johnny Juzang | 13 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
As always, Lauri Markkanen led the team in scoring with 34 points including 7 rebounds, 2 assists, one block, and a steal. Collin Sexton contributed 20 points while playing starting minutes. John Collins was the only other player who scored in double-digits. He recorded 21 points and 11 rebounds. Their bench players only contributed 16 points.