Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Dallas Mavericks 92 at Utah Jazz 104
The Dallas Mavericks did something on Monday night that they have not done all season long. Unfortunately for the Mavericks, a three-game losing streak is not a proud accomplishment.
In a matchup between the third and fourth place teams in the Western Conference, the Mavericks and the Utah Jazz figured to stack up pretty evenly coming into Monday night. The two teams went shot for shot for the better part of three quarters. The fourth quarter was a different story.
Outscoring the Mavericks 27-16 in the fourth, the Jazz won the season series and sent the Dallas squad back to Big D with a 104-92 road loss.
"We've struggled," Mavs coach Rick Carlisle said of his team's recently play. "We've been in some close games. This was a close game up until the fourth.
"We've been here before. We had to fight through a few of these (losing streaks) last year. So, we'll battle back."
(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
Having played the Jazz twice already this season, with each team winning once in Dallas, the Mavericks traveled to Salt Lake City for their lone regular season trip to Energy Solutions Arena. The Mavericks were looking to snap a two-game slide, facing off with a hot Jazz squad playing without starting power forward Carlos Boozer (strained right calf). Instead, the Mavs dropped their fifth straight game in Utah and their third straight game overall.
"Hey, it happens," point guard Jason Kidd said. "There's 82 games, and you're going to win five or six in a row and you might lose three. But, our goal is to try to minimize those three-game losing streaks to two-game losing streaks. So, this is our first one...We've got to find a way to get out of this whole. But we're a veteran ball club, so we're not panicking."
The Jazz entered Monday's contest winners of nine of their last 10 games. With big man Paul Millsap providing the low post presence while standing in for Boozer, the Jazz didn't appear to miss their top scorer early on. Meanwhile, the Mavericks turned defensive intensity into transition offense in the opening quarter. Dallas received a scare when rookie guard Rodrigue Beaubois hit the court hard attempting to block a shot, as the first-year pro was helped off of the court with his team ahead 20-16 at the 3:12-mark of the first period. But even without Beaubois, Dallas emerged with a 26-24 edge after one, thanks to a combined 16 points from the Mavericks' starting backcourt of Kidd and Jason Terry.
With no Beaubois, the Mavericks' second unit offense fell on the shoulders of J.J. Barea and Josh Howard in the second quarter. But after Dallas' advantage grew to six, the Jazz reserves answered with a 7-0 run to jump ahead, sparked by the play of C.J. Miles. Already shorthanded due to the Beaubois injury, the Mavericks' lineup took another blow when Howard picked up his third foul early in the second stanza. At the same time, first time All-Star Deron Williams looked to assert himself after going scoreless in the first. The Mavericks turned to their own All-Star, as Dirk Nowitzki came to life by taking it right at Millsap, eventually drawing the big man's third foul with 3:17 remaining in the half. Despite Nowitzki's attacking play, the Jazz closed the half on a 9-2 run to take a 53-46 lead into the intermission.
(Photo by Melissa Majchrzak/NBAE via Getty Images)
Even with the early foul trouble, Millsap led all scorers with 16 first half points.
"(Millsap) was real active on the boards. He ran. He hit shots. He really did just about everything out there. He played a terrific game for them," Carlisle said.
Nowitzki kept his squad close with 12 points, but the Jazz out-shot the Mavericks 51 percent to 42 percent in the first 24 minutes of play.
"I take it all on me, always. I got to be aggressive," Nowitzki said.
The two teams continued to go Millsap's and Nowitzki's way to start the third quarter. But the Mavericks needed Terry to step up, and the sharpshooter did just that. Terry ignited a 12-2 Dallas run with a quick trigger from behind the 3-point line, putting his team in front 62-61 midway through the period.
"(Nowitzki) carried a huge load for us in the third. JET (Terry) had it going too, early," Carlisle described the action.
But Williams' play-making and Mehmet Okur's offense paced the Jazz to a 77-76 edge heading into the final period.
"We were playing great defense until that fourth quarter," forward Shawn Marion said. "I guess we ran out of juice. And they just kicked it into a second gear, and they took off with it."
In front of its home crowd, the Jazz squad put some distance between the two teams on the scoreboard at the start of the fourth, seemingly capitalizing off of every Dallas mistake.
"We had our chances, but here at home they're tough to beat," Kidd added. "They got a couple of turnovers and from that point we were just playing catch up."
Wesley Matthews' three-point play off of Williams' 13th assist of the night put the Jazz up 94-82 with 6:49 remaining. Dallas' turnovers and miscues helped the Jazz build a lead as large as 16, before Carlisle pulled his starters down the stretch.
The Mavericks committed seven of their 15 turnovers in the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, Nowitzki scored just two points in the decisive period.
"I think we threw the ball all over the gym," Nowitzki said of the play in the fourth. "They just stepped up their pressure in the fourth. I couldn't get any looks...When they stepped up their pressure, we had no answer."
The Jazz finished the night bettering the Mavericks in shooting percentage (49 percent to 46 percent), rebounding (43-34) and points in the paint (54-32).
Nowitzki's game-high 28 points came in a losing effort, while Terry (19), Barea (12), Kidd (11) and Marion (10) all scored in double digits.
In Boozer's stead, Millsap posted a team-best 25 points, leading six Utah scorers in double figures. Meanwhile, Williams impacted the game with his scoring and his court vision, recording an 18-point, 15-assist night.
"I think (Williams) controls the game," Kidd said of his point guard counterpart. "He understands how to execute (Jazz coach Jerry Sloan's) offense. He knows how to get different guys the ball. He knows when he needs to step up and take a shot. So, I think he's grown this year and you can see that by him becoming an All-Star."
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.
"We've just got to go home and play better, and win at home," Carlisle said. "It's as simple as that."
For up to the minute news on the Dallas Mavericks, visit Mavs.com. Follow Mavs.com’s Earl K. Sneed on Twitter at http://twitter.com/EarlKSneed.
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