3 overreactions as Mavericks lose Anthony Davis to another injury, fall again to Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks played their second of three-straight road games on Thursday night against the Utah Jazz, looking to get another revenge win. Utah beat the Mavericks despite a 42-point outburst by rookie Cooper Flagg a few weeks ago. Dallas had Anthony Davis this time, hoping it would be the winning difference.

Dallas had an early 8-3 lead over the first few minutes, but the Jazz would control the rest of the quarter, as they used an 11-2 run to eventually take a 10-point lead. Lauri Markkanen and Cody Williams combined for 13 of the team's first 20 points, which is a big reason why they were able to take hold of the game, even if the difference would trickle back down into the single digits at the end of the first.

Utah would build the lead back to double digits in the second, leading by as much as 14. With the Jazz leading 53-39 after a dunk from Lauri Markkanen, the Mavericks then stormed back as Anthony Davis finally woke up. He had 7 points down the stretch of the first half as the Mavericks went on a 16-5 run to cut the lead down to three at the break.

The second half would be a volatile half, with the lead constantly changing hands. The third quarter alone saw nine lead changes and six ties, as Cooper Flagg, Anthony Davis, and Max Christie each played a consistent role and made a few shots each, but Utah wouldn't go away, as a three from rookie Walter Clayton Jr. made it a one-point game heading into the fourth.

The lead again changed hands a few times in the fourth, despite the Mavericks starting the quarter with back-to-back threes from Cooper Flagg and Klay Thompson, but the Jazz answered with a three from Isaiah Collier and three the hard way from Kevin Love.

A big swing could've come when an and-one from Cooper Flagg was wiped away with the Mavericks down 2 because of a charge, but the Mavs responded in a big way after that with a 9-0 run, closed off by a corner three from Max Christie, putting them up by 7 with less than five minutes to go.

After Brice Sensabaugh answered with a three, Cooper Flagg responded with an impossible shot from the corner with next to nothing on the shot clock on an inbounds, which felt like an early dagger, even if the game was far from over, but the officials wiped it away during the next timeout because they deemed it to be after the shot clock. Two possessions later, it was a tie game, and Anthony Davis went to the locker room with two minutes left because of a hand injury, and the Jazz would retake the lead after a layup from Lauri Markkanen and a three from Sensabaugh.

Klay Thompson hit a wildly deep three from the wing to make it a one-possession game again, but Keyonte George pushed the lead to five on a tough turnaround jumper over Cooper Flagg. Dallas would miss on the other end, and the Jazz would go on to win, 116-114.

Here are three overreactions from this loss.

1. Stop Box Score Watching With Anthony Davis

Jan 3, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts after scoring during the first quarter against the Houston Rockets at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

Anthony Davis just isn't the same player he used to be. 21 points, 11 rebounds, 4 assists, a block, and a steal have never looked so... lazy? He's not giving effort half the time, and I don't know if he's just anticipating a trade or what, but he doesn't look like he wants to be out there.

2. Cooper Flagg Must Love Playing the Utah Jazz

Jan 8, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks forward Cooper Flagg (32) waits for the play against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

Cooper Flagg scored 42 points in his first game against the Utah Jazz, then put up 26 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists in his second game, and was milliseconds away from 32 points. Even if he hasn't gotten a win against them yet, he has been very productive against the Jazz.

3. Two Losses to the Jazz Should Be Enough to Call the Tank Brigade In

Jan 8, 2026; Salt Lake City, Utah, USA; Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd watches play against the Utah Jazz during the first quarter at Delta Center. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images | Rob Gray-Imagn Images

The Dallas Mavericks are now a combined 4-9 against the Portland Trail Blazers, Utah Jazz, Sacramento Kings, New Orleans Pelicans, and Memphis Grizzlies. That's as ugly as ugly gets. Sell off the veterans and embrace the tank, because this isn't a good basketball team.

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