The Dallas Mavericks returned to the basketball court for preseason game No. 2 against the Utah Jazz at the American Airlines Center on Thursday night. The Mavericks entered the game 0-1, while the Jazz entered Dallas with a 2-0 record.
The Mavericks’ second-half performance was too little, too late. The Mavericks dropped a 107-102 decision to the Jazz in regulation. Dallas fell to 0-2, while Utah improved to 2-0. Dallas had a 44.8% success rate in field goals as opposed to Utah’s 42.2%.
Dallas Mavericks-Utah Jazz Recap
The Dallas Mavericks hosted the Utah Jazz in preseason game No. 2 at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks entered a new era after both Mavericks CEO Cynt Marshall and DFW Airport’s CEO Sean Donohue announced their respective retirements, while the Jazz succeeded in stringing together three wins in a row. The Mavericks opened the first half in eye-opening fashion with an early play by Kyrie Irving, who passed the ball to Klay Thompson, who passed it to Dereck Lively II, for a notable rimshot finish. The Mavericks trailed 24-18 after the first quarter.
The Dallas Mavericks picked up the pace in the second quarter, but the Jazz’s offense overpowered the home team for much of the quarter. Thompson, who wears the No. 31 jersey to honor Hall of Fame Sharpshooter Reggie Miller, hit a cool three-pointer similar to the three-pointers in his “Splash Brothers” days. The Mavericks trailed 60-47 at the end of the first half.
Both the Jazz’s offense and defense continued in the second half. Lauri Markkanen threw down a dunk to give the Jazz a 73-54 lead with a little over eight minutes left in the third quarter. Daniel Gafford helped the Mavericks to a scoring surge and caught up with the Jazz, but trailed 92-80 after three. The Mavericks had a 22-point fourth quarter but the Mavericks’ efforts weren’t enough to stifle the Jazz. The Jazz scored just 15 points in the quarter but had strong second and third quarters that made up for their shortcomings. The Jazz won a close game, 107-102.
Mavericks-Jazz Highlights
The Dallas Mavericks-Utah Jazz preseason game featured plenty of highlight-reel plays. For example, Irving hit a two-point field goal in the first quarter. Irving caught a pass from Dereck Lively II and avoided what appeared to be four Jazz defenders.
The Jazz’s broadcast featured Greg Ostertag, a Jazz legend, a former NBA center, and a Dallas native. Ostertag played for the Jazz from 1995 to 2004 and 2005 to 2006. The 51-year-old also played for the Sacramento Kings from 2004 to 2005 and the Mavericks’ NBA G League affiliate, Texas Legends, from 2011 to 2012. The Jazz made the most of their first half. Jordan Clarkson, who has been playing in Salt Lake City since 2019, hit a noteworthy three-pointer in the second half. Clarkson previously played for the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles D-Fenders (now the South Bay Lakers of the NBA G League), and Cleveland Cavaliers.
Latest Dallas Mavericks News
The Dallas Mavericks made some news headlines ahead of Thursday’s game at the American Airlines Center. The Mavericks announced they’ll be without Luka Doncic (left calf contusion), PJ Washington (hip), Dante Exum (right wrist), Maxi Kleber (left ankle sprain), Kessler Edwards (left ankle sprain), and Brandon Williams (right calf strain). The Mavericks also announced Klay Thompson will suit up in Dallas for the first time.
The Dallas Mavericks made a roster move ahead of Thursday’s game. The team re-signed AJ Lawson to a two-way contract just days after waiving him, sources told ESPN. Lawson averaged 18.4 points per game in the team’s NBA Summer League games. Mavericks Point Guard Kyrie Irving recently spoke to The Athletic about the Mavericks’ mission and then touched on his own accountability and Olympics experiences. Irving spent plenty of time with Team USA for tryouts and training camps that helped him improve his game while improving his mind.
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