© Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic's 75th Career Triple-Double Leads Mavs' Gritty Win at Jazz
After taking everyting the Utah Jazz could throw at them, Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks ultimately pulled away in the fourth quarter for a big win to start a five-game road trip.
After the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz by 16 points at American Airlines Center on Thursday, they knew it would be a tough to repeat that task in Salt Lake City on Monday. Not only did the Jazz have home-court advantage in this one, but they weren't coming off a second night of a back-to-back like they were in the previous matchup.
Despite entering the fourth quarter with score tied at 88-88, the Mavs put together a business-like final period to ultimately win their fourth game in a row with a 115-105 final score. Dallas' defense has been the biggest story during this stretch of eight wins in nine games, and that defense tightened up to hold the Jazz to 17 points in the fourth quarter.
Mar 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) drives against Utah
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic, despite struggling shooting the ball from deep (2-11), finished with his 75th career triple-double. Doncic tallied 29 points (10-24 from the field), 12 rebounds and 13 assists in 41 mintues of action. One more triple-double will help Doncic catch James Harden for eighth on the NBA's all-time list.
Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington played big roles in helping Dallas pull off a win in Utah – a place they've only won at three times during the last eight regular seasons. Irving finished with 27 points and five assists, and Washington pitched in 16 points and four rebounds. After shooting just 25 percent from deep in his first 18 games as a Maverick, Washington hit two huge fourth-quarter 3s to help Dallas seal the win.
Irving called the Mavs' new big-man tandem of Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II a "luxury" to have after Thursday's win, and the duo proved that again on Monday. Gafford dominated as a starter, scoring 13 points on 6-7 shooting to go with 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and five blocks in 27 mintues. Lively put in six points on 3-3 shooting to go with nine rebounds and one steal in 18 mintues off the bench.
Next up, the Mavs play the Sacramento Kings in two consecutive games that could have a major impact on the Western Conference standings when it comes to the No. 6 seed. The first matchup will have both the Mavs and Kings playing on a second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday, then the second matchup will come on Friday
