Player Ratings: Dallas Mavericks lose to Utah Jazz, 115-113

The Dallas Mavericks (5-7) are currently locked in NBA Hell after suffering their fourth consecutive clutch loss, this time against Utah Jazz (3-8) at the Delta Center, 115-113. A furious Dallas comeback attempt in the fourth quarter was comically clouded by the previous three quarters of poor body language and even worse defense and rebounding.

The lineups head coach Jason Kidd tinkered with early were ridiculous, and without Kyrie Irving’s steady hand in the lineup, the shorthanded Mavericks sputtered, sputtered again, came back and then collapsed in the game’s final minutes after putting together a 25-7 run in the failed comeback in the fourth quarter.

There were some good individual contributions along the way, but Dallas’ effort Thursday in Salt Lake City looked more like a collection of shiny parts than a finished product. Here’s how the Mavs rate in their latest fart-and-fall-down loss.

Luka Doncic: C+

37 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds

Dončić’s step-back 3-pointer fell early, a welcome sight after the team’s less-than-spectacular 5-6 start. He hit 2-of-3 from deep in the first quarter before missing all four of his 3-point attempts in the second quarter. He made the adjustment as his jumper cooled and turned into a battering ram on his way to the bucket for a pair of driving scores and the drive-and-kick.

Dončić provided the needed spark after Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford left the locker room in the third quarter. Gafford had an apparent injury and Lively had just picked up his fifth foul when he was seen heading down the tunnel. Gafford returned with just over three minutes to play in the third, while Lively returned in the fourth. Dončić hit a floating banker with 6:28 left in the third, then knocked down a long 3-ball the next time to bring the Mavs within 81-78 and force a Utah timeout.

In the fourth, as the Mavericks stormed back from what had ballooned to a 16-point Utah lead, Dončić hit a 3-pointer with Kyle Filipowski’s hand in his face to tie the game, 108-108, with 2:15 left. then Dereck found Lively II on a lob next down to take a brief lead before the Jazz closed out the game in the final two minutes.

But I think losing John Collins for an easy game-winning dunk while flat-footed on defense with six seconds left is just inexcusable, and it’s indicative of a certain level of pouting that our resident supernova puts far more on tape , than he should.

Klay Thompson: B+

17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Klay Thompson poured it in for a second straight game where the Mavericks needed everything he could give them. Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the game and his second of the second quarter pulled the sluggish Mavericks back in front, 47-45 with 4:45 left before halftime. His fourth came in transition on a perfect layup from Dončić that gave the Mavs a 61-55 lead two minutes into the third.

Naji Marshall: A

19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals

Marshall had a big game and this looks very repeatable. He converted a hard drive down the stretch with a double-pump through contact over Filipowski with four minutes left in the second. After completing the 3-point play, the Mavs were ahead 50-47 and showed signs of life again to close out the first half. He got past Filipowski again with 1:45 left for a lay-in that pushed the Mavs back in front, 56-55. His aggressiveness in getting to the hoop gave the offense a welcome sense of balance, while Dončić, Thompson and Grimes primarily attacked along the perimeter.

He played well in the two-man game next to Dončić in the second half, knocking down floaters, getting to the basket and even showing a little playmaking ability in the loss. He picked Keyonte George’s pocket on the perimeter and converted the contested layup in transition to bring the Mavs to within five, down 106-103, with 4:14 left to play.

Daniel Gafford: C+

10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots

Gafford came off the bench against the Jazz, but had to leave early in the third quarter after slipping while pushing for an offensive rebound. He could be seen walking gingerly to the locker room with about eight minutes left in the third. He checked back in late in the third, so whatever happened must not have been too serious.

Derek Lively: D+

5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocked shots

Lively got the start in place of Gafford at Utah, but foul trouble kept him from making his mark in the first half. He picked up two quick blocked shots, including an impressive stop against Collins inside with 7:50 left in the first quarter. He was physical on both ends of the floor – maybe a little aggressive, though. He picked up two quick fouls in the first and picked up his third early in the second quarter, giving him three in just over six minutes on the floor in the first half.

He fouled Filipowski inside with 10:45 left in the third, then chased down Lauri Markkanen on a 3-point play deep down the court a minute or so later, and he was pretty much in jail for the rest of the night. He went to the locker room after his fifth foul, but returned in the fourth.

In his absence, Collins, the longtime Mavs killer, put up 28 points for Utah.

Quentin Grimes: A-

15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds

With Kyrie Irving out with a shoulder injury against the Jazz, the Mavericks leaned more on Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie for key minutes. Grimes stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up for the Mavs in the first quarter. His jumper looked smooth and he hit two big 3-pointers as the quarter wore on and Dallas clung to its early lead.

He hit his third on a nice drive-and-kick from Naji Marshall with 5:20 left in the second to pull the Mavs back to within one, down just 45-44, before completing a tough 3-point play through Jordan Clarkson on an assist from Dončić with a minute left before the break.

It’s been a puzzle for Grimes to start the season, getting inconsistent minutes through the first 12 games of the season, but here’s a little bit of trivia (overheard on the Mavs Moneyball Slack channel) that hopefully points in the direction of the free agent finds his way into Mavericks rotation: Grimes posted 15 points and four assists in the first half Thursday. Josh Green, whose position in the lineup Grimes more or less took over, recorded just seven games with 15 points and four assists in his 223 games in a Mavericks uniform.

Grimes didn’t have nearly the impact in the second half as he was held scoreless as he did in the first.

Spencer Dinwiddie: D+

0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Dinwiddie entered for the first time late in the first quarter and promptly committed two turnovers in his first 1:45 of playing time late. With Grimes fitting into the rotation as effectively as he did, Dinwiddie only saw about five more minutes on the floor in the first half. He came back midway through the third and promptly threw a pass behind a cutting Dwight Powell, who was charged for the turnover when it landed in Collins’ hands down low, but it took two to dance the leggy tango.

Jaden Hardy: B

7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

There was the really nice highlight dunk over Keyonte George with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter, but since it happened in the middle of the Jazz’s 25-7 run, we can’t give Hardy a ton of extra credit for his high-flying exclamation point. He provided a little boost with his 3-point play in transition on an assist from Marshall that pulled the Mavs within 101-92 with 9:52 left to play.