Utah Jazz Nine-Game Winning Streak Snapped in Loss to Mavericks
Disappointment, but also a slice of optimism was felt among Jazz nation after falling to the Dallas Mavericks 111-103 last night. It seemed to be 'one of those nights' as the Jazz failed to hit open shots, and Luka Doncic went off, nearing a triple double against a usually stout Jazz defense.
First, lets go over the top-three positives from last nights matchup.
1. Mike Conley had a terrific game, knocking down 28-points, and adding 7-assists to lead the Jazz against the Mavericks. Conley was dangerous especially in the first quarter, adding 13 of the Jazz 25 points in the opening minutes of the game.
2. Rudy Gobert's block against a driving Luka Doncic was sensational. With 11:37 left in the third quarter, Doncic's attempt at a layup was sent backwards from the tracking arm of Gobert.
3. The Jazz could've easily thrown in the towel after a lackluster second and third quarter, but continued to trudge on. Utah would eventually lose by eight points, but it could've been a whole lot worse. Their determination and never-give-up attitude is the reason that they were within striking distance when the final buzzer sounded.
Now for the three negative takeaways.
1. Luka Doncic had an outstanding game. It was one of those performances that you tip your cap, and move on from. Doncic would finish with a stat-line of 31-points, 8-assists, and 9-rebounds against the Jazz.
2. Utah seemed to be getting open looks, but couldn't find the bottom of the net from three-point range. Utah finished with a 27% three-point percentage, only connecting on 12 of their 44 three pointers attempted. Dallas was 23-49 from three point range, and that stat ended up being the difference between a win and a loss for the Jazz.
3. Dorian Finney-Smith decided to have a career night against Utah, finishing with 23-points, 6-rebounds, and 4-assists. No matter what the Jazz tried to do, they couldn't put a stop to Finney-Smith's success. It's one thing to allow Doncic to have a great game, its another to not be able to slow down Finney-Smith.
Overall takeaway:
Donovan Mitchell said it best during the post-game press conference.
Don't overreact Jazz fans. There were definitely positives to take away from this game. In the whole grand scheme of things, shots didn't fall in the Jazz favor, plain and simple. Let's move forward and focus on the game against Phoenix on Wednesday.
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