DALLAS – Apparently, the Dallas Mavericks got really mad about what the Utah Jazz did to them earlier this season and decided they weren’t going to take it anymore.
And boy, did the Mavs ever exact revenge in a very big way.
With the stars aligned just right Wednesday night before a sellout crowd of 19,371 at American Airlines Center, the Mavs completely obliterated and embarrassed the Jazz, winning by a whopping 118-68 margin. It was just the third time in the Mavs’ history that they’ve won a game by at least 50 points.
The game was so lopsided that the statistics are absolutely stunning.
1.) The Jazz scored just 22 points in the entire second half after scoring 24 points in the first quarter.
2.) The Mavs outscored Utah in the fourth quarter, 34-9.
3.) All 13 of the Mavs who suited up ended the game with at least a +11 in the plus/minus category.
4.) The Jazz shot 31.2 percent from the field and missed 29 of their 35 shots from 3-point range.
5.) The Mavs shot 58.4 percent from and field and outrebounded the Jazz, 51-33.
In other words, this was a very special night for the Mavs, who won for the fourth time in their last five games and can now boost about having a three-game winning streak for the first time since last season while padding their record to 6-8.
“They had a horrible night, but we had something to do with that,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “But we’re not this good and they’re not that bad.
“That’s the reality of the NBA. We’ve got to do everything possible to build on this. That’s the bottom line.”
The game was the 14th annual Seats For Soldiers contest where the Mavs invite over 100 wounded service members from Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio to the game, along with reserve troops from the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Adaptive Training Foundation to watch the game from courtside seats donated by season-ticket holders.
The Mavs are now 12-2 on Seats For Soldiers night, and they definitely gave the service men and women a treat they’ll probably never forget. The dominating performance helped the Mavs avenge the 113-104 and 117-102 losses Utah (7-7) tagged them with earlier this season.
“A night like tonight is hard to explain in a lot of ways, but everybody was completely connected,” Carlisle said. “These guys have really ripped us in two games — every which way you can get ripped – and our guys responded real well.”
Separation between Dallas and Utah came rather swiftly. The game was tied at 34-34 early in the second quarter, then the Mavs ended the first half on a drama-filled 24-12 run to go up 58-46 at intermission.
The second quarter included a technical against DeAndre Jordan while he was on the bench, a technical against Luka Doncic, and a technical against J. J. Barea after he said something when Derrick Favors – he was whistled for a Flagrant 1 — plastered him and sent him flying into the expensive courtside seats.
“It was a dirty basketball play,’’ said Barea, who had 14 points and five assists. “(I was) off-balanced, a strong dude in Favors, and I had nowhere to go.
“I’m just glad nothing happened — nothing seriously happened.”
The Mavs did have a pair of injuries that needed their attention. Wesley Matthews limped to the locker room with 7:53 remaining in the third quarter with a left hamstring strain. It’s the same hamstring that forced Matthews to miss Monday’s game in Chicago.
Also, Doncic had X-rays on his left shoulder, and the X-rays were negative. In the second quarter, Doncic flew in for a layup and wound up sliding into the basketball support and making connection with Jazz forward Jae Crowder.
In all, it was a rough and tumble game, and the Navs stood their ground and outscored the Jazz in the second half, 60-22.
Guard Devin Harris said of the blowout: “You can tell our disposition, especially the last practice. We approached the last three games, we’ve had a little bit – I wouldn’t say a chip – but there’s been something around the team where guys were sick and tired of what we’ve been seeing and were ready to do something about it.”
The only other times the Mavs won by 50 or more points was at home against Philadelphia (123-70) on Nov. 13, 2014, and on the road against the New York Knicks (128-78) on Jan. 24, 2010. And the 22 points Utah tallied in the second half are the fewest the Mavs have ever allowed in any half in team history, eclipsing the 23 points they held Sacramento to during the first half of a Jan. 14, 2012 contest.
“Let’s just say that I can’t remember a better defensive performance by any Mavericks team in 11 years,” Carlisle said. “I’m just really impressed with the way the guys brought it.
“This is a ridiculously difficult team to play. Very difficult. Well-coached, slice and dice you to death. The first two games were obliterations and we bounced back in a big way.”
Harrison Barnes led the Mavs with 19 points, Dwight Powell and Doncic each scored 13, Dorian Finney-Smith tallied 11, and Jordan picked up 10 rebounds.
The Mavs hope to bottle Wednesday’s incredible and pick up where they left off when they host the world champion Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
“Listen, it’s the NBA,” Carlisle said of the lopsided win over the Jazz. “Strange and unusual things happen and you’ve got to move on to the next one. We’ve got the world champs coming in on Saturday.
“We can’t just sit around and celebrate this. I mean, come on man. That’s not how this work. We’ve got to do everything possible to duplicate the same kind of force and disposition come Saturday.”
Share and comment