Mavericks vs Jazz Final Score: Dallas falls at Utah, 115-113

The Dallas Mavericks fell for it Utah Jazz Thursday evening, 115-113. John Collins ate the Mavericks, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Luka Doncic scored 37 points for Dallas, but also gave up the game-winning basket on a defensive lapse.

With Kyrie Irving missing the game with a shoulder problem, head coach Jason Kidd opted to shake up his starting unit by inserting Dereck Lively, Maxi Kleber and Quentin Grimes to play alongside Luka and Klay Thompson. After a decent start from the Mavericks, including a pair of Doncic step-back threes, Kidd played a bizarre two-big lineup with Dwight Powell and Daniel Gafford, which resulted in the Jazz hanging around. Turnovers plagued Dallas in the first (they had seven), but hot shooting from three kept the Mavericks ahead. Dallas led 28-27 after twelve minutes of play.

Sleepy defense from the Mavericks allowed the Jazz to jump out to their first lead of the game. Lively picked up her third foul of the game (in just seven minutes total!) early in the quarter. The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the frame, unable to pull away. Utah led by as many as six before Dallas finally rallied to regain the lead. But the Mavericks couldn’t defend or rebound and the Jazz hung around. The Mavericks led 64-61 at the half.

Dallas slowly came apart at the seams in the third. Lively picked up her fourth and fifth fouls, forcing Kidd to go to weird bench lineups again. Utah scored 20 points in the first six minutes to take an eight-point lead. Daniel Gafford went back to the locker room with an injury of some sort during the run, leaving Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber as the lone bigs. A Luka Doncic catch-and-shoot three pulled the Mavericks back within three, but after a Jazz timeout, Utah went on a run to extend their lead to 12. Utah scored 38 in the frame to take a 99-85 lead . fourth.

The Utah lead grew to 16 and it looked like the Mavericks were ready to wrap it up. And then, little by little, Dallas worked its way back into the game. Utah started to miss shots, Dallas started to play with purpose, and with 4:14 left in the game, Dallas found itself behind by three. A Doncic bomb from the right wing tied it at 108. Dallas took the lead on a stunning oop from Doncic to Lively, only for the Mavericks to give it right back by fouling Jordan Clarkson at the rim. John Collins gave the Jazz a three-point lead on a putback, and Klay tied the game after a Dallas timeout with a clutch three. On the ensuing play, Doncic lost Collins, who slipped to the basket for the game-winning shot. Dallas got one more look with a kick-out three to Marshall, but he didn’t make it. The Mavericks fall to 5-7 after losing at Utah, 115-113.

Now some thoughts:

What are we doing here guys?

An optimist might say that the Dallas Mavericks have lost their last four games by a combined 8 points. An optimist would be full of shit and would lie about having seen these four games. This one in particular is going to stick in my hand. But I’m not mad as much as disappointed. I mean, look at this:

You can see it happen, a moment before it happens. Doncic flat-footed, unable to see the ball or his man, his eyes focused on the corner action and his man (yes, let’s be clear, it’s his man, as I’ve had people argue with me about this) slide to basket for easy play.

It’s inexcusable, but also shockingly common from these Mavericks. Luka will make headlines with his bone-headed play and his consistently vicious body language, but the Mavericks played like an out-of-sorts team for the 11th time in 12 games. They only looked alert and cohesive against a shaky Orlando team. Every other game has featured an abundance of mental breakdowns and uninspiring play, and any fan tuning in to see this should demand more.

Of course things will get better, there is too much talent on this team for this to completely collapse. But they need to start playing with some urgency. No one cares that they went to NBA finals now and honestly, these performances give rise to the idea that the Mavericks got lucky. Everyone, from the creepy head coach, to the humble superstar, to the too-big-for-his-britches second-year center, everyone on the roster except Kyrie Irving, needs to look in the mirror and demand more from themselves and each other. Time to get it together guys, you embarrass us.