After the Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz by 16 points at the American Airlines Center on Thursday, they knew it would be difficult 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 straight night like they were in the previous game.
Despite entering the fourth quarter with the score tied at 88-88, the Mavs put together a final trading period to ultimately win their fourth straight game with a final score of 115-105. Dallas’ defense has been the biggest story during this eight-win-in-nine-games streak, and that defense tightened up to hold the Jazz to 17 points in the fourth quarter.
March 25, 2024; Salt Lake City, Utah, United States; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) struggles against Utah
Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports
Luka Doncic, despite having difficulty shooting the ball from deep (2-11), achieved his 75th career triple-double. Doncic had 29 points (10-24 from the field), 12 rebounds and 13 assists in 41 minutes of action. One more triple-double will help Doncic catch up with James Harden for eighth on the NBA’s all-time list.
Kyrie Irving and PJ Washington played a big role in helping Dallas earn a win in Utah – a berth they have only won three times in the last eight regular seasons. Irving finished with 27 points and five assists, and Washington tossed in 16 points and four rebounds. After shooting just 25 percent from deep in his first 18 games as a MaverickWashington made two huge 3s in the fourth quarter to help Dallas seal the victory.
Irving called the Mavs’ new tandem of Daniel Gafford and Derek Lively II a “luxury” thing to have after Thursday’s win, and the duo proved it again on Monday. Gafford dominated as a starter, scoring 13 points on 6-7 shooting, with 11 rebounds, five assists, two steals and five blocks in 27 minutes. Lively scored six points on 3-3 shooting, with nine rebounds and a steal in 18 minutes off the bench.
Next, the Mavs will face the Sacramento Kings in back-to-back games that could have a major impact on the Western Conference standings when it comes to the No. 6 seed. The first matchup will see the Mavs and Kings play a second straight night on Tuesday, then the second matchup takes place on Friday.
