Jazz Must Find a Solution to Biggest Defensive Liability
The Utah Jazz defeated the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night at Vivint Smart Arena, retaining their playoff positioning as the No. 10 seed in the Western Conference. The victory comes with heightened importance as the Mavericks are a Western Conference foe.
The win-loss result at this point of the season can be monumental each and every night due to the competitive regular-season parity in the NBA. Wins will at least keep teams in the playoff picture, but any loss may eliminate teams from postseason contention that particular night.
Five Jazzmen were able to reach double-figures, led by (guess who) Lauri Markkanen's 29 points and five boards. Malik Beasley (or should I say, '3sley') contributed 19 points off the bench, while Walker Kessler and Jordan Clarkson chipped in with 14 points each.
All of the Jazz starters registered a + game rating, led by Mike Conley, who tallied a +16. The win raised the Jazz's record to 26-26.
The Mavericks also landed five double-digit scorers, led by guard Spencer Dinwiddie's 35 points and eight assists. With Luka Dončić out, Reggie Bullock provided assistance to Dinwiddie with 19 points and five boards. Although the loss drops the Mavs to 26-25, they remain in the playoff picture and currently claim the No. 8 ranking in the Western Conference.
The key takeaway in this contest was Utah's inability to contain the opposition's ball-dominant scorer. Dinwiddie's game stat line was dominant and in recent losses, the Jazz have yielded 60 points to Damian Lillard and 48 points to Kyrie Irving, respectively.
All three are ball-dominant guards. Hopefully, Jazz head coach Will Hardy will address this issue with his brain trust and devise a more competitive game plan moving forward.
The Jazz will face the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night at Vivint Smart Arena.
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