After completing a tough three-game road trip, the Jazz returned to the Delta Center for a three-game homestand – starting Monday night against Dallas. What was different Monday was that Utah was almost at full strength again as Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson returned to the lineup.
Despite Markkanen’s 34 points and Clarkson’s eight assists, the Jazz ran out of steam at the end of the fourth quarter and lost 115-105 against the Mavericks.
“Everyone in our locker room has to take it upon themselves not to give in to fatigue,” head coach Will Hardy said after the game. “We play as a group on both ends of the court. The energy our team played with in the first half was inspiring. … That’s what we want it to look like, that’s what they (the players) want it to look like.”
After playing for just the third time in three weeks, Markkanen’s play continues to support the notion that he is one of the greatest 7-foot shooters in NBA history.
He rewrote the record books earlier this season when he hit five threes against Denver on Oct. 31, becoming the NBA’s all-time leader for most career games by a 7-footer with at least five successful three shots. Since that night, he has knocked down more than 5 threes in a game nine times, including Monday’s 6-for-9 performance. It was the 45th time in his career that he did it and the 24th time in a Jazz uniform – 12 times already this year.
Although it added to the record books, Markkanen’s fifth line of the night was notable for a different reason. With 9:51 left in the third quarter, he took a pass from Sexton and made his 1,000th career three-pointer. He finished the night with 34 points, seven rebounds and two assists, shooting 10 of 19 from the floor and a perfect 8 of 8 from the free throw line.
“I want Lauri to be a lot more demonstrative against change. … I want him to look for those opportunities,” Hardy said. “We’ve worked on it a lot, we’ve talked about it a lot, teams are going to come after him a lot. I think in those situations, because we know he’s calling it, it’s time for him to think about ‘first to himself.’ The next part of his evolution is to follow the pace of the game and demand the ball in those situations. “
One of the problems plaguing the Jazz is their inability to get going quickly. Aside from a 37-point outing against Minnesota a week ago, the Jazz averaged 23 points in the first 12 minutes — numbers that would rank last in the league.
Back with a (mostly) healthy squad Monday night against Dallas, the Jazz had a blast. They lost 41 points in the first 12 minutes, the 4th time they have reached the 40 point mark this year. Despite shooting just 33% (4 of 12) from three, Utah did damage in the paint, scoring 18 points on 11 shots. Collin Sexton dropped 11 points, knocking down two threes. Markkanen and John Collins combined for 18 points, while Keyonte George had five assists. Utah made a living attacking the rim, finishing the first quarter going a perfect 11 of 11 from the free throw line.
“I thought the first half was really encouraging offensively,” Hardy said. “We had 18 assists, the ball was flying everywhere and generated a lot of good looks from three. That’s what we want to be on that side of the ball. … We want to move with pace down the field and get to our spacing quickly …I thought we did that.
Since becoming Utah’s starting power forward after the All-Star break, the Jazz have leaned on rookie Taylor Hendricks and his defensive potential. They threw him “into the fire,” often challenging him every night with the toughest assignments — and that trend continued Monday against Luka Doncic.
After struggling against Doncic (34 points on 11-of-23 shooting) four nights ago, Hendricks got the chance to face him again Monday — and what a difference it was.
He helped limit Doncic to just nine points on 3-of-12 shooting (0-of-5 from three) in the first half. Hendricks played angles better against Doncic, often forcing him one way then using his length to recover when necessary. Although Doncic would catch fire in the second half (finishing with 29 points), the ability to play against star players is something he and Hardy believe will serve him better over time.
“He had some really good moments. … His length showed,” Hardy said of Hendricks. “I think there were some possessions where Taylor opened up a little bit, like you have to be perfect with your positioning when you’re guarding Luka. Overall, I thought Taylor did a really good job. … It’s not as good as we want it to be, and it’s not as good as he wants it to be.”
“I think Taylor is where he should be right now in terms of where his development is going. He’s gotten a lot of really valuable minutes against good players, and tonight was another night where he got Lots of opportunities to keep a special player.”
After both teams got off to a strong start, things calmed down as Jazz responded to each Mavericks run in the second quarter. Following a Kyrie Irving bucket that cut Utah’s lead to three late in the half, the Jazz had an immediate response. Hendricks knocked down a corner three on the ensuing possession, then Markkanen added a three with 30 seconds left to give Utah a 66-61 halftime lead.
The back-and-forth affair continued through the third quarter, with the Jazz holding the Mavericks back until a three-pointer from Doncic midway through the period. An Irving three minutes later gave Dallas a four-point lead late in the third, but the Jazz responded again. A 6-0 run by Markkanen and Clarkson gave Utah the lead late before entering the final 12 minutes tied at 88.
Sexton nailed a three to give the Jazz a one-point lead early in the fourth, but it was all Dallas from there. The Mavericks went on a 16-2 run over the next six minutes to take control of the game.
“I was really proud of the team’s defensive performance between halftime and the second half,” Hardy said. “We needed to run our coverage better and have more physicality in our rotations. … I thought our team did that.”
Sexton finished with 20 points and six assists, marking the eighth straight game he has scored more than 20 points. This is his longest streak of 20 points with the Jazz. Collins added 21 points and 11 rebounds.
Utah continues its home game Wednesday against Victor Wembanyama and San Antonio. The warning is set for 7 p.m. MST.
