Will Hardy Points Out Key Behind Jazz’s OT Win vs. Mavericks

The Utah Jazz put together their 10th win of the regular season against the Dallas Mavericks, closing out a 140-133 victory in overtime fashion thanks to an all-around effort from several standouts on the roster.

Keyonte George nearly had another career-high night with 37 points, Kyle Filipowski emerged into the starting lineup once again to chip in 25 points and nine rebounds, and Lauri Markkanen had an eye-popping stat line with 33 points and 16 rebounds.

But it's that last name that landed some special attention from Jazz head coach Will Hardy postgame–– crediting Markkanen and his ability to rebound the ball down the stretch as the biggest reason as to why the Jazz pulled out an overtime victory.

"I thought Lauri, his stat line looks sort of familiar, but the way that he rebounded the ball, especially late in the game, is something that we need him to channel," Hardy said postgame. "His aggressiveness and physicality to rebound down the stretch of the game is why we won. But it's a great win for our group. I'm really proud of the guys."

Of Markkanen's 16 rebounds, over half of them (nine) came within the fourth quarter or overtime.

A couple of those, particularly in overtime, came off of some clutch putbacks on the offensive end that came together for some quick and efficient second-chance points at a time when the Jazz needed it most.

LAURI MARKKANEN SEALS UTAH'S WIN!

33p, 16r, 5a, and 4s in the dub over Dallas 🔥 pic.twitter.com/4tCgoL65B9
— NBA (@NBA) December 16, 2025

Even while the Jazz got outworked on the glass as a team by the Mavericks throughout the night (54-47), Markkanen got the ones that counted, and for Hardy, those extra boards down the stretch might've just been the difference between Utah pulling together an overtime win.

Will Hardy Shouts Out Three Bench Players

Nov 18, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy at press conference at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Hardy also made sure to give his flowers to the bench following the Jazz's grind-it-out victory, highlighting two specific names that played "outstanding" in the winning efforts: Taylor Hendricks and Cody Williams, and another standout in Isaiah Collier who led the team in assists while being in the second unit.

"Three guys off the bench: I thought Isaiah [Collier], continuing to put pressure on the paint for us; eight assists, zero turnovers. And then, Taylor [Hendricks] and Cody [Williams] who have not been with us lately, both played outstanding."

"I think that Cody made some defensive plays late in the game that were huge for us, showed some force playing towards the basket. The dunk in the frist half, his go-and-catch in the corner in the second half, to his inside hand layup was a huge play."

In a night where the Jazz rested a couple of their veteran guys, Svi Mykhailiuk and Jusuf Nurkic, the pair of former first-round picks stepped up in a big way on both ends of the floor.

Hendricks was an ace from the corner, going 3-4 from three, while Williams found his way to a season-high in points, in large part thanks to a fiery second quarter.

CODY WITH THE STOCKING STUFFER 🎁😱 pic.twitter.com/r5QBRGM5BO
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) December 16, 2025

After a bit of time in the G League for both Williams and Hendricks, to now elevating to the second unit to make a real difference in an overtime win, that might just be the push both needed to find their way to a bit more time in the nightly rotation.

It's win number 10 on the year for the Jazz, and one that, for the time being, puts them over the Mavericks in the Play-In picture as the 10th seed in the Western Conference. Time will tell how long that holds, but it's certainly a better-than-expected start for Utah through nearly two months of the season.

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