How Dallas Mavs Tightened Up Defensive Execution to Defeat Utah Jazz

After giving up 41 points in the first quarter, the Mavs tightened up significantly to contain the Jazz in the victory.

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports

SALT LAKE CITY — After allowing the Utah Jazz to score 41 points in the first quarter of Monday night's 115-105 victory, the Dallas Mavericks tightened up significantly on defense. After a score of 41-37 through 12 minutes, Dallas outscored Utah by a 78-64 margin for the remainder of the game.

“I thought the group after the first quarter, we held them under 25 points (in each of the last three quarters),” coach Jason Kidd said. “That first quarter was kind of a like a shootaround. They were shooting. We were shooting."

Dallas Mavericks v Utah Jazz / Alex Goodlett/GettyImages

Kidd emphasized the Mavs' need to defend with physicality, noting that officiating tends to be more lenient about contact as the playoffs approach. He liked that his team limited Utah in operating out of half-court actions by being physically off the ball while keeping free throw attempts limited after the Jazz shot 11 of 22 total attempts in the game's opening period. It was evidenced by Lauri Markkanen being contained to one point in the final period despite already scoring 33 prior.

“The physicality, understanding the way the game is being called and how you have to play at this time of year,” Kidd said. “I thought we were really good with our physicality off the ball. And keeping them off the free-throw line was one of the big things.”

Another area the Mavs tightened up was limiting the Jazz to just two second-chance points after halftime while giving up only three total offensive rebounds. With Daniel Gafford and Dereck Lively II anchoring the paint, the advantage was clear, with perimeter players contributing consistently, too.

“Our physicality started coming in at the second quarter and then after halftime, and we talked about, I think they had zero second-chance points in the second half," Kidd said. "So being able to get the misses. Utah fought. This is a hard place to win, and guys did a great job of executing down the stretch.”

Looking ahead to Tuesday's game against the Sacramento Kings, Doncic emphasized the need for the Mavs to bring the same level of intensity and physicality they had in Utah for the final three quarters and from start to finish. With both teams engaged in a tightly contested race for the sixth seed in the Western Conference, this week's two matchups hold significant importance.

“It was great,” Doncic said. “The first quarter, they scored 41. Then only 64 in the (last) three quarters. We should have started the game the way we played the last three quarters.

“We’re in a tough spot right now," Doncic continued. "We’ve won (eight of nine). We just got to keep getting the wins.”

A similar sentiment was shared by P.J. Washington, who challenged his team to come out with physicality to open games. He appreciated the improvement from the group as the night went on, but like Doncic, he wants that to be a 48-minute challenge instead of doing it for 36.

“We got to come out physical at the beginning of games,” Washington said. “They scored 41 in the first quarter. We can’t have that. But I feel like we did a great job on the defensive end the rest of the game.”

“We just kept playing, got some stops, and converted on the other end. I thought we did a great job in the second half.”