Mavs-Jazz Game 1 Donuts: Dallas Rolls-Royced, 99-93
In the first Game 1 on their home court in 11 years the Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks led early and had chances to win late, but ultimately fell to the Utah Jazz, 99-93.
DONUT 1: CALF-ROPED - Dallas Cowboys' record in games missing their star because of a calf injury: 1-0; Dallas Mavericks' record in games missing their star because of a calf injury: 0-1. Cooper Rush did for Dak Prescott last Halloween what Jalen Brunson couldn't quite pull off for Luka on Easter Eve.
DONUT 2: LOUD LUKA - With his calf strain forcing him to be merely a cheerleader, Doncic wore what us old-timers call a "loud" outfit - black sweatpants and color-splashed hoodie - while helplessly munching a box of popcorn.
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DONUT 3: HOME SWEET HOME? For the first time since the Western Conference Finals in 2011, the Mavs have - er, had - home-court advantage in a playoff series. Not only are the Mavs now 10-25 in playoff games and 0-6 in series since 2011, they have lost their last 11 games in Utah. Game 7 inside American Airlines Center has a nice ring to it.
DONUT 4: STUPOR SUBS - While the Jazz got a dominant performance from a player who didn't make a single basket - Rudy Gobert grabbed 17 rebounds, blocked three shots and scored his only five points on free throws - the Mavericks didn't get enough from Jalen Brunson and Spencer Dinwiddie. Without Luka's trademark high pick-and-roll creating open shots, Dallas' two starting guards needed to play almost flawless basketball. Far from it. Granted, they scored almost half of the Mavs' points - 46 of 93 - but did so on 15-of-39 shooting with seven missed free throws and six turnovers.
DONUT 5: OMINOUS HALF - The Jazz led by only two points at halftime. But you knew it was a bad omen that All-Star Donovan Mitchell had only out-scored Luka, 2-0. Mitchell erupted for 19 points as Utah grabbed control in the third quarter, and finished with 32.
DONUT 6: SMOOTH JAZZ - We know it's a bad matchup for Mavs against the Jazz – or anybody – without Luka, but there is a history of good vibes against Utah in the postseason. Dallas is 2-0 against the Jazz, with two of the most unlikely road playoff wins in franchise history to close out series in Salt Lake City. In 1986, scrappy guard Brad Davis made 5-of-5 3-pointers and scored 26 points in a Game 4 win in the old Salt Palace. In 2001, reserve big man Calvin Booth scored his only basket of the game on a put-back in the final seconds as the Mavs erased an 18-point fourth-quarter deficit against Karl Malone and John Stockton to win decisive Game 5 in the old Delta Center. It was between Games 1 and 2 of that series that Dirk Nowitzki uttered one of his funniest lines: “Utah is a bad city.”
DONUT 7: LONGING FOR LUKA - A year ago the Mavs began the playoffs with a Game 1 upset win at the Los Angeles Clippers. In that game Doncic produced 31 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists. Dallas' recipe for beating Utah rests with Luka getting triple-doubles, not triple-zeroes. The Mavs fell to 8-10 without him this season.
DONUT 8: SALT LAKE SUCCESS - The Mavs waited 11 years for a home-court advantage that lasted all of 48 minutes. After this loss, they will have to win a road game to win the series. Problem: They have an 11-game losing streak in Salt Lake City, including 0-2 this season.
DONUT 9: CHILD'S PLAY - Give Mavs coach Jason Kidd credit for pushing every available button. He used a small lineup. He ran Utah off the 3-point line and made players like Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovich become playmakers. He went to a zone. He slowed the pace. He manufactured and squeezed offense out a unit that - without Doncic - is glaringly void of playmakers off the dribble. Not bad for a coach who entered this series with a 9-15 playoff record.
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Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images
DONUT 10: SMALL-BALL STRUGGLE - Former Mavs coach and Hall of Famer Don Nelson pretty much invented "small ball", using a lineup littered with guards and forwards in an attempt to beat a taller team with quickness and athleticism. When the ploy failed, Nellie used to shrug and say "The problem with small ball ... is that you're small." In an attempt to shrink Jazz All-Star center Gobert, the Mavs played smaller and, sure enough, produced less. Utah outrebounded the Mavs by a staggering 53-34.
DONUT 11: ROLLS-ROYCED - After trailing by 10 with six minutes remaining, the Mavs rallied and shot for the lead with 1:30 left. But after making a 3-pointer from the right corner on the previous possession, Maxi Kleber came up woefully short from the left corner with his team down 92-91. On Utah's ensuing possession Royce O'Neal missed a layup, but saved the ball and eventually shook Dinwiddie to hit a side-step 3-point dagger. It was O'Neal's only basket of the game, but also the game's biggest basket.
DONUT 12: MORAL VICTORY? - Without Luka, shooting 38 percent, missing eight free throws and getting out-rebounded by 19, it's stunning the Mavs had a chance to win in the final 90 seconds. Said Kidd, "Our defense gave us a chance to win this thing. We slowed the game down and gave ourselves a chance to win without Luka, and that's the mark of a great team."
