'Controlling Destiny': Doncic, Mavs Beat Jazz, Take Possession of 4th in West
After being embarrassed in Minnesota to start the weekend, the Dallas Mavericks knew they had to bounce back strong against the Utah Jazz on Sunday night to keep their home-court advantage hopes alive.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
With Utah missing Rudy Gobert (right leg contusion), the Mavs locked up Donovan Mitchell in route to a 114-100 beatdown at American Airlines Center. The Mavs improved to 46-29 on the season and took sole possession of fourth place in the Western Conference standings. With just seven games remaining, Dallas controls its own destiny for starting the playoffs at home for the first time in over a decade.
"I think the first quarter was more or less we had to get over the fact that [Rudy] Gobert wasn't playing,” said coach Jason Kidd of his team’s second-half turnaround. “Quin [Snyder] does a great job with that group. They played hard. But I think once we found the pace and we started not to hold the ball and we started to move the ball and we started to get open looks, we made those."
Luka Doncic struggled in his last two outings (both against the Timberwolves), but he took it to the Jazz on Sunday by putting up 32 points, 10 rebounds and five assists in 33 minutes of play. Doncic shot 11-of-21 from the field and 4-of-7 from deep.
Reggie Bullock had a breakout performance for Dallas, as he scored 23 points on 8-of-12 from the field and a season-high 7-of-11 from 3-point range. Bullock also played a big role in holding Donovan Mitchell to just 12 points on 4-of-13 shooting.
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
© Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports
Dallas also received double-digit scoring from Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie in this one. Brunson finished with 22 points, 10 rebounds and five assists, while Dinwiddie added 12 points on 5-of-10 shooting off the bench.
Dallas is now 26-12 at home this season, whereas Utah is just 19-19 on the road. With the Jazz being a likely playoff opponent for the Mavs, securing home-court advantage would seem to provide Dallas with a nice boost.
"You only will be judged when the playoffs start," said Kidd. "[Utah] will continue to play games and we will, too."
The Mavs will now shift focus to the struggling Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday night. The Lakers have lost two games in a row and seven of their last 10 after falling to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The Lakers are now sitting at 10th in the West, just one game ahead of missing the Play-In Tournament entirely.
