'Bah Humbug!': Mavs Fall Short to Jazz on Christmas, 120-116

The scrappy, shorthanded Dallas Mavericks gave the Utah Jazz all they wanted in a scrappy Christmas night matchup, but ultimately lost, 120-116.

The severely shorthanded Dallas Mavericks were not expected to play a competitive Christmas night game against a fully-healthy Utah Jazz team. This was evident when Dallas started the game as 13.5-point underdogs. However, the Mavs continued their recent scrappy brand of basketball in Utah, despite ultimately losing the contest, 120-116.

After Missing the previous two games due to 'toe soreness', Kristaps Porzingis made his return to action in the Christmas spotlight and ended up scoring a game-high-tying 27 points to go with nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks in 34 minutes. Porzingis shot 8-of-18 from the field and 11-of-13 from the free throw line, despite missing all five of his three-point attempts.

Jalen Brunson was fantastic for Dallas all game long, as he often has been since being inserted into the starting lineup. Brunson notched clutch score after clutch score down the stretch before the Jazz pulled away, and finished with 27 points and six assists in 36 minutes.

The Mavs’ effort level while being undermanned has been inspiring to watch, and head coach Jason Kidd thinks things will start going his team’s way soon.

“The bottom line is to win,” said Kidd.

“We just can’t get to the finish line right now. We’ve just got to, again, stay positive and keep working, because I think it’s going to turn here.”

Dallas had no answer for Utah starters Donovan Mitchell, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mike Conley, who finished with 33 points, 25 points and 22 points, respectively.

The Mavs started this game out with a greater since of urgency than the Jazz did, as Dallas surprisingly jumped out to a 16-point lead with nearly three minutes left in the first quarter. Utah responded well in the second quarter, though, scoring 40 points in the period and holding a 65-63 lead at halftime.

Dallas started the third quarter with similar aggression as the first, as it turned a two-point deficit into a nine-point lead with about five minutes left in the period. Unfortunately, though, that lead would not hold, as the Mavs and Jazz entered the fourth quarter tied at 90 points apiece.

In the final frame, just when it seemed as if the Mavs had ran out of gas after falling down 107-97 with 5:32 left, Brunson provided one last spark, getting Dallas back to within 109-107 before the high-powered Jazz offense finally pulled away for good. The Mavs are now two games under .500 for the first time this season with a 15-17 record.

Next up for the Mavs will be a Monday night road game against the Portland Trail Blazers. This will be Dallas' second game of a five-game road trip.

Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports