Lauri Markkanen's Jazz Out-Duel Undersized Mavs: 3 Big Takeaways
The Dallas Mavericks (26-25) came up short in their 108-100 loss against the Utah Jazz (26-26) on Saturday. It was the second and final stop of a short two-game Western Conference road trip, with Dallas finishing that stretch with a 1-1 record.
Luka Doncic continued to be sidelined by a left ankle injury that has been described as a "mild sprain." With Christian Wood also sidelined, Spencer Dinwiddie was the top option again, as he was in their previous outing after Doncic went down and had his night end after three minutes of action.
The Jazz came out of the gate with an advantage by comfortably crossing the 30-point threshold in both opening quarters with a double-figure scoring differential. Utah led 66-48 at halftme. The Mavs attempted to rally back and did come within 103-98 at one point, but proved unable to fully rally back.
Here are three big takeaways from the Mavs' loss to the Jazz:
3. Mavs Struggled Against Jazz's Size
With the Mavs not having Wood or Maxi Kleber available to play, the Jazz went with a jumbo lineup consisting of Lauri Markkanen, Kelly Olynyk, and Walker Kessler. With the size advantage that Utah held throughout the game, in general, Dallas sorely struggled on the interior.
“I think it’s a good look,” Markkanen said of the Jazz deploying a jumbo starting lineup. “It’s gonna be a tough matchup. And we just got to be able to dominate the rebounds with that lineup, so we’ll get better.”
Dwight Powell and Davis Bertans were the Mavs' lone bigs with the injuries the team faced and finished with a combined five points and four rebounds in 37 minutes of action. JaVale McGee, who signed a three-year deal in the offseason, was a healthy scratch.
That’s not to say that McGee deserves playing time, because many around the NBA will tell you they don't know how he got that contract from what they've seen from him, especially in the offseason. It's just the latest indictment on the decision to sign him altogether.
Against bigger teams, the Mavs just do not have the size to compete as well as they should right now. They have to deploy lineups with a micro-ball five throughout games, too, making it essential that they have enough offensive fire to overcome. Without Doncic, that's all the more challenging to achieve.
2. Jazz's Shot Making Was Hard to Overcome
It was a challenge for the Mavs to truly get close to overcoming the early deficit they dug themselves into because of the Jazz's ability to consistently answer back with tough shot making. When Dallas cut it to 103-98 at one point, Markkanen immediately fired back with a made 3-pointer.
“They hit some really timely threes,” Dinwiddie said. “I know Markkanen hit one, I think Beasley hit a couple late clock when we were making a run. Again, if we don’t put ourselves down (by 19 points), then we’re not in that situation.
“But you also got to credit them for hitting big shots because if they don’t we come down and score, it cuts it again, it changes the flow. But they hit big-time shots and they’re a great three-point shooting team and they’ve played with a lot of energy all year. Markkanen is probably going to be an All-Star, and deservingly so. Beasley is a great shooter, and they hit big-time shots.”
Without Doncic available, the Mavs are likely not going to have the type of firepower to overcome such a substantial deficit as they had faced against the Jazz. The margin for error is smaller and getting disadvantaged early is a problem that cannot occur.
Dinwiddie and Markkanen set the tone for their team. Markkanen scored 29 points while receiving double-figure scoring outings from Malik Beasley (19), Walker Kessler (14), Jordan Clarkson (14), and Collin Sexton (12). When they needed a play to be made, Utah got it done.
The Mavs' supporting cast around Dinwiddie simply was unable to get it done at a sufficient level. Reggie Bullock had quality results as he scored 19 points with five made 3-pointers. Dorian Finney-Smith ended up having a solid game, too, as he racked up 11 points, nine rebounds, and four assists with a trio of makes from deep. However, Tim Hardaway Jr. and Josh Green scored a combined 21 points while shooting 8-24 from the floor and 2-13 from 3-point range.
1. Spencer Dinwiddie Stepped Up Again
The Mavs had to overcome not having Doncic available to play and Dinwiddie delivered in a major way once again, recording 35 points, four rebounds, and eight assists against the Jazz. He even finished with six makes from beyond the arc, which accounted for a third of the team's makes.
“He’s an MVP,” Dinwiddie said of Doncic. “We’re not going to be better without him. That’s not the way the game works, but we understand our role, we understand what we have to do."
Dinwiddie understands that without Doncic, it's more challenging for the Mavs to generate offense within the half-court. They don't have one of the NBA's elite players at running high ball screens, isolation offense, and playing out of the post when Doncic isn't available. The Mavs have to play faster and it's especially important to convert open looks.
“Obviously, I’m a person who has a little bit more volume (without Doncic on the floor). We’ve got to play a little bit faster and try to get some easy buckets in transition, because we’re not going to have that post-up threat and some of that halfcourt efficiency with the way he draws fouls and things like that. But we’ll still be able to generate some good clean open looks for our shooters as we did tonight, and we’ve got to knock them down.”
Unlike the Phoenix Suns, the Jazz were able to prepare for the Mavs not having Doncic prior to the matchup. That means the clear focus of their efforts was to contain Dinwiddie, but he still managed to get the job done.
“Luka is one of a kind, and you can’t replicate him,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said of Dinwiddie before the game. “But Spencer Dinwiddie does a pretty good job of getting close in terms of their style of play.
“He’s a heckuva pick-and-roll player (and) he’s a heckuva of an isolation player.”
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