Luka and Kyrie Guide Mavs to Victory Over Jazz to Begin 5-Game Road Trip

The Mavs defeated the Jazz in consecutive games led by standout performances from Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.

Dallas Mavericks v Utah Jazz / Alex Goodlett/GettyImages

SALT LAKE CITY — In the fourth and final matchup between the Dallas Mavericks (42-29) and Utah Jazz (29-43) of the 2023-24 season, the Mavs won 115-105, achieving an eighth victory in their previous nine games.

"Just keep going [and] find a way to win," Doncic said.

During Thursday's matchup, the Mavs defeated the Jazz 113-97 in their previous outing played at American Airlines Center. Doncic finished with 34 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. Kyrie Irving totaled 16 points and seven rebounds.

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The Mavs received 56 points combined from Doncic and Irving in the rematch. Doncic scored 29 points, 13 assists, and 12 rebounds, and Irving contributed 27 points and five assists. Both players made timely plays to guide Dallas, continuing needed momentum amidst a tight playoff race. Every game matters significantly, and the focus remains on completing the task instead of looking ahead.

"We have to go game by game," Doncic said. "If you look at the future, we're not going to focus on the game we have in front of us, so we're going to go game by game and focus on every game we play."

The Jazz were led by Lauri Markkanen, who provided 34 points and seven rebounds. John Collins, who started in place of Walker Kessler at center, added 21 ponts and 11 rebounds. Collin Sexton was another 20-point scorer while dishing out six assists.

The Mavs' performance featured plenty of helpful contributions in a balanced effort. Daniel Gafford set the tone inside the paint with 13 points, 11 rebounds, five assists, and five blocks. Dallas also received double-figure scoring performances from P.J. Washington (16 points) and Tim Hardaway Jr. (13 points). The team totaled 31 assists while turning it over only six times. It was the team's fifth game with at least 30 assists in their previous seven outings, each resulting in victories.

After holding a 4-3 lead at the 10:42 mark of the first quarter, the Mavs never led for the remainder of the half. Dallas allowed Utah to score 41 points in the first frame, resulting in a 41-37 deficit. Hardaway's floater early in the second quarter tied it up at 41-41, but a 5-0 run for the Jazz to re-establish a lead that sustained entering halftime.

"That first quarter was kind of like a shootaround," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "They were shooting, we were shooting, and so I thought, our physicality started to come in in that second quarter."

The Mavs tightened up defensively in the second quarter, holding the Jazz to 25 points, but still faced a 66-61 deficit at the break. Utah was often left open from beyond the arc, with Dallas favoring shrinking the floor to protect the rim. Markkanen had already scored 20 points, with Collins adding 13 points and eight rebounds and Sexton scoring 11.

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

Dallas trailed at the break despite Doncic already scoring nine points and recording 10 assists and six rebounds. He shot just 3-12 from the floor and missed all five 3-point attempts. He also turned the ball over three times. Gafford and Hardaway combined for another 23 points, while Irving scored 11 and dished out five assists.

A 16-5 run led by Doncic and Irving pulled the Mavs ahead 86-82 with 5:02 left to play in the third quarter. The stretch was highlighted by dynamic perimeter shooting from both superstars, including Doncic dishing it to Irving for a corner 3-pointer and then hitting a step-back from beyond the arc. Irving pulled up for another perimeter make on the next play. The uptick from deep was needed on a night the team shot 12-42 (28.6%).

"I thought on the offensive end, just trusting each other," Kidd said. "I thought we had some great looks at 3s, and so just the trust that they missed some early, but P.J. made some big 3s for us. Timmy made some big shots for us. So just the trust that everybody has in that locker room where everyone's just talking about if we can make a couple of 3s, how easy the game can become."

The shooting surge the Mavs experienced tapered off, with the Jazz closing the third quarter on an 8-2 run, resulting in an 88-88 tied score. Markkanen had already scored 33 points, while Dalas' superstars combined for 39 points and 16 assists. Dallas improved defensively, containing Utah to just 39 points after halftime.

"After halftime, we talked about it, I thought the guys did a really good job [defensively]," Kidd said. "I think there were zero second-chance points [allowed] during the second half. So being able to get the misses."

Despite the Mavs' previous struggles to slow down Markkanen, he was held to one point in the fourth quarter. Dallas was more intent on getting a body on him and being physical in the half-court, often with Washington and Maxi Kleber taking that responsibility.

"He was catch-and-shooting and he wouldn't miss, so that was the first thing," Doncic said of Markkanen. "I think our physicality — P.J. and Maxi, they did a great job in the fourth quarter with him, but he was hot. He was shooting that thing and it was tough to stop."

There were frequent lead changes throughout the fourth quarter, but a 14-2 run by the Mavs created an 11-point advantage, entering a timeout with 5:25 remaining in regulation. Along the way, a pair of made 3-pointers from P.J. Washington occurred, which were much-needed considering Utah's emphasis on doubling Doncic and using an early low-man in the half-court.

Dallas led by as many as 13 points after Doncic posted up Markkanen and hit a one-legged jumper against him. A putback dunk from Collins briefly made it a single-figure game, but both Mavs superstars were instrumental in guiding the team down the stretch to close out the victory.

Doncic's shooting night wasn't up to his usual standard, but as he tends to do, he still made timely plays and frequently made great passing reads to create advantages and high-quality shots for his teammates. He shot 10-24 (41.7%) from the floor, 2-11 (18.2%) from the perimeter, and 7-8 (87.5%) from the free throw line.

"When I get aggressive and I enter the paint, good things happen," Doncic said. "So, I just have to do that more, I have read if the low-man helps, Gafford or Lively is up there. If the other low-man helps, there's a corner open, so I'm just trying to read the game."

The Mavs will continue a five-game road, with the next stop involving two games in Sacramento. Dallas will take on the Kings on Tuesday night, completing a back-to-back. Both teams remain in a heated race for the sixth seed in the Western Conference. If Dallas loses even one of those games, the Kings will clinch the season tie-breaker.

"Very big games," Doncic said. "It's tough to play in Sacramento, the crowd going, and they have a lot of great players and it's going to be tough two games, for sure. We have to be ready. We have to stay together for 48 minutes and be physical."