Mavericks-Jazz Preview

(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks (30-17) at Utah Jazz (28-18)

The Dallas Mavericks did nearly everything right on Saturday night. Still, the team fell 114-112 on its home floor, thanks to a 52-point effort from Portland guard Andre Miller.

Though the team has had its share of close-game victories, being on the other side of a narrow margin was just the nature of the league, according to Mavs coach Rick Carlisle.

"You're going to have nights when it comes down to the last shot and you don't make it. But the question you've got to ask is, 'Is that the play to reflect on or is it a total of a lot of other things going on that put you in that position?' In my view, it's a lot of other things going on," Carlisle said when summing up the loss.

Now the coach and his squad travel to Salt Lake City to tangle with the Utah Jazz, hoping to solve the other things.

(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

Dallas has dropped back-to-back games and five of its last 10. The main issue that concerns the head play-caller is the team's drop-off in defensive execution. The Southwest Division leading-Mavericks have dropped from one of the top-tier defenses in the league to one ranking in the middle of the pack. Of the NBA's 30 teams, the Mavericks rank 18th in forced steals and dead last in team fouls committed. That has offset Dallas' 5.8 blocks per game, which is good for fourth in the league.

"We got very soft defensively as a team," Carlisle said. "We were a tough-minded team the first quarter of the year and it's gone by the wayside. It's an attitude adjustment we're going to have to make to get it back and right now we aren't there.

"If our team is able to get it for a 25 to 30 game period to start the season, there's no reason it can't become a priority again. They have to make it a priority. I can talk about it being a priority all I want, but it's a two-way street. We've got to have the effort and the commitment."

Offensively, the Mavs' 12.9 turnovers a contest (ranking 27th) have stopped an otherwise productive offense. It all boils down to the team losing its edge, Carlisle said.

"We should be a better basketball team than that...The tough-mindedness we exhibited the first portion of the season, I happen to believe is still there. I don't believe it was Fool's Gold," Carlisle added.

Heading into a hostile environment like Energy Solutions Arena, the Mavericks will need that toughness to return.

The Mavericks and the Jazz have each snatched a win this season against each other, with both of the first two games being played in Dallas. After the Mavericks received a 111-93 home thumping at the hands of Utah on Jan. 9, the Dallas squad heads into the Jazz's backyard, where teams have not been very successful. Utah is 19-6 at home, but the Mavericks are hoping to hang a seventh loss on that record as Dallas enters the matchup with the Western Conference's best road mark of 16-9.

(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)

"Utah's a tough place to play," Dallas' leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki said. "They're really starting to play better...I think they're really starting to come along, and really being the force at home that they really have been the last couple of years.

"It's a tough building to play in, but we've usually been good at recovering from losses and turning losses into something positive."

Fortunately for the Mavs, Utah could be without their top two scorers. Both Deron Williams (relative's funeral) and Carlos Boozer (strained right calf) missed the Jazz's last game, a 101-94 home win over Sacramento.

Even if Williams and Boozer are able to go, the Mavericks will need a win to avoid their first three-game skid of the season. The Mavericks-Jazz matchup will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 8 p.m. CT.

Dallas returns home to host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. The Mavericks will be out to avenge a 111-103 home loss on Nov. 24.

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