Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Utah Jazz 111 at Dallas Mavericks 93
Winners of back-to-back games, the Dallas Mavericks returned to the American Airlines Center floor not looking for another historic fourth quarter from Dirk Nowitzki against the Utah Jazz but they certainly could have used it.
After a 96-85 home win over the Jazz on Nov. 3, in which Nowitzki set a franchise record with 29 of his 40 points in the final period to help Dallas erase a 16-point deficit, the Mavericks simply wanted to get a convincing win against Utah on Saturday night. Playing without big man Drew Gooden (sprained right ring finger) and swingman Josh Howard (left thigh contusion) on the second night of a back-to-back, the short-handed Mavs didn't have the same continuity that sparked a key win over the San Antonio Spurs just 24 hours early. Instead the Mavericks crashed and burned, while the Jazz were the aggressors en route to a 111-93 win on Dallas' home floor.
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
"It hurts," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said about playing without Gooden and Howard. "But you've got to be able to win with the rest of those guys that are dressed, so no excuses there. This is one of the highest margins all year we've given up. We just didn't get the job done. Simple as that.
"It was disappointing. It's a home game and you want to play your best basketball at home and we just struggled tonight."
The Mavericks needed every ounce of energy from the home crowd as they began a three-game home stand. As Jazz point guard Deron Williams battled through a wrist injury to set the tone early with his scoring and play-making, the Mavericks found themselves down 26-18 after one. Utah's 18-4 points in the paint advantage told the story for the quarter, as Dallas hit just 7-of-23 shots from the field in the opening quarter.
"(Williams) is a good player, so he's going to give them a big lift. We struggled shooting the ball...When the shot-making isn't there, it's a bigger struggle," Carlisle said.
Things got worse for the Mavericks in the second stanza, as Utah's Wesley Matthews asserted himself and the Jazz lead ballooned to 15. Meanwhile, Shawn Marion's ability to get into the lane and finish at the rim kept the Mavericks' heartbeat ticking. A late charge by Marion and Nowitzki then cut the deficit to 50-40 at the end of the half.
Nowitzki's 14 first half points led all scorers, with Marion supplying 10. But the Mavs were out-shot by the Jazz, as Utah connected on 47 percent of their shots compared to Dallas' 41 percent. The Jazz also held a 28-23 rebounding edge, in addition to doubling the Mavericks in points in the paint (28-14), two areas of concern for Carlisle before the game.
The Utah advantage continued to grow early the third quarter, as Williams and Matthews utilized dribble penetration and the 3-point shot to push the margin up to as much as 24. With the Mavericks' offense out of sorts, the Jazz outscored Dallas 33-22 in the third, taking an 83-62 lead into the final period. Eight Dallas turnovers leading to 13 Jazz points in the third period disrupted any Maverick comeback attempt.
"(Turnovers) put a stop to everything," Marion said. "You can't make a run or a comeback when you're turning the ball over and you can't score on the offensive end."
(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)
But the Mavericks wouldn't go away quietly, cutting the Jazz advantage to 13 midway through the fourth behind an attacking Nowitzki and Jason Kidd's uptempo play. The normally pass-first point guard, Kidd, was looking for his shot in the fourth, but on this night the Jazz answered every attempt at late-game heroics that the Mavs could muster.
"When we did get a chance to make a run, it seemed like we couldn't get a stop," Marion said.
Both teams emptied their benches in the final minutes with the Mavericks clearly unable to put together enough to come back from the large deficit.
"I'm pretty disappointed because we lost the first three quarters pretty decisively," Carlisle said. "We got it going some in the fourth but at that point it was just too late."
By night's end, the Jazz had out-shot the Mavericks 53 percent to 41 percent. Utah's 50-34 edge in points in the paint overcame a 45-41 Mavs' advantage in rebounding. Utah also capitalized off of 13 Dallas turnovers, translating into 19 Jazz points at the other end.
"(The turnover differential) certainly wasn't helping us. They only had five for the game and we had 13 tonight for 19 points off turnovers. Uncharacteristic of us," Carlisle said.
After dominating the Spurs' bench, the Maverick reserves sorely missed Gooden and Howard as the Jazz finished with a 45-25 edge in bench scoring.
"We missed our energy," Gooden said after observing from the sidelines. "We can't use that as an excuse. Everybody has to be ready to play."
Nowitzki finished with a game-high 29 points, grabbing eight rebounds. Kidd added 19 points, while Jason Terry (16) and Marion (10) both scored in double figures.
Meanwhile, the Jazz got much more balance from their key contributors, as Williams led six players in double figures with 20 points, dishing out nine assists as well.
Now the Mavericks will try to get back on the winning track, in the second game of a three-game home stand, matching up with the defending NBA champion Los Angeles Lakers on Wednesday night. The Mavericks and Lakers have split the first two games this season, both in L.A., but Dallas will be looking to avenge a 131-96 loss on Jan. 3. The Mavericks-Lakers matchup will air locally on KTXA 21 and KTXA HD at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.
"We just have to get everybody back healthy and get ready for this game on Wednesday," Marion said. "It's not even so much that it's the Lakers, we have to get out here and protect home court."
The Mavericks and the NBA have introduced the official NBA All-Star game ballot, featuring Dirk Nowitzki, Jason Kidd, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Jason Terry. For more on how to vote for your favorite Mavs for the All-Star game, to be held at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, visit Mavs.com.
Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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