One thought after the Dallas Mavericks get exposed by the Utah Jazz, 115-113

Dallas is off to an embarrassing 5-7 start to the season after losing in Utah

The Dallas Mavericks fell to the Utah Jazz on Thursday night, 115-113. John Collins ate up 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 issue, head coach Jason Kidd elected to shake up his starting unit, inserting Dereck Lively, Maxi Kleber, and Quentin Grimes to play along with 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 resulting 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 his third foul of the game (in just seven total minutes!) early in the quarter. The two teams traded baskets for the rest of the frame with neither able to pull away. Utah led by as many as six before Dallas finally rallied some to retake 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 his fourth and fifth fouls, forcing Kidd to go to weird bench lineups again. Utah scored 20 points in the first six minutes and took an eight-point lead. Daniel Gafford went back to the locker room with an injury of some kind 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 following a Jazz timeout, Utah went on a run to extend their lead to 12. Utah poured in 38 in the frame and took a 99-85 lead into the fourth.

The Utah lead grew to 16 and it appeared the Mavericks were ready to pack it in. And then, bit by bit, Dallas worked themselves back into the game. Utah started missing shots, Dallas started playing with purpose and with 4:14 left in the game, Dallas found themselves trailing by three. A Doncic bomb from the right wing tied it at 108. Dallas took the lead on an awesome oop from Doncic to Lively, but the Mavericks gave 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 following 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 in 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 be lying about having watched these four games. This one in particular is going to stick in my craw. But I’m not mad insomuch as I am disappointed. I mean look at this:

You can see it happening, moments before it does. Doncic’s flat footed, not able 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, since I’ve had people argue with me about this) slips to the basket for an easy play.

It’s inexcusable, but also shockingly common from these Mavericks. Luka will make headlines with his boneheaded play and his consistently atrocious body language, but the Mavericks played like a team out of sorts for the 11th time in 12 games. They only looked awake and coherent against a reeling Orlando team. Every other game has featured an abundance of mental lapses and uninspiring play and every fan that tunes in to watch this should demand more.

Of course things will get better, there’s too much talent on this team for this to utterly collapse. But they have to start playing with some urgency. No one cares that they went to the NBA Finals now and frankly, these performances are giving cause to the idea that the Mavericks were lucky. Everyone, from the churlish head coach, to the pouty superstar, to the too-big-for-his-britches second-year center, everyone on the playing roster save Kyrie Irving, needs to look in the mirror and demand more from themselves and each other. It’s time to get it together guys — you’re embarrassing us.

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