NBA: Washington shines as Dallas pull away from Utah 112-100 with 32-19 3rd quarter

Dallas beat Utah 112-100 at the American Airlines Center on Friday 6 November, in front of 19,568 spectators. P.J. Washington scored 26 points, including six three-pointers from ten attempts, and the Mavericks pulled clear in the third quarter (32-19) after a first half that finished level at 57-57. They led by as many as 20 points early in the final period.

Tip-off was scheduled for 2:00 Brazzaville time. Dallas were without Dereck Lively II, Tarik Biberovic and Sergio De Larrea, while Utah were missing Jusuf Nurkic and Jaren Jackson Jr. There were nine lead changes on the night, and the Mavericks took control in the third quarter.

Two 8-0 runs in the first quarter

Utah led 0-3 early on, then Dallas answered with an 8-0 run to go ahead 8-3. The Jazz then produced an 8-0 run of their own, from 15-10 to 15-18, after the scores were level at 15-15 with 6:17 to play. The first quarter ended 28-26 to Utah.

The second quarter saw the Jazz build their biggest lead of the night, 8 points (32-40, with 8:38 left before half-time). The Mavericks hit back with a 7-0 run, from 40-45 to 47-45, and the two teams went into the break level at 57-57.

Thirteen straight points swing the game

Utah still led 70-68 with 7:30 left in the third quarter. Dallas then reeled off 13 unanswered points, to make it 81-70 with 3:33 to play. The Jazz scored the next three points (81-73), before the Mavericks ripped off another 8-0 run, from 81-73 to 89-73, which ended with 8.4 seconds left in the quarter. The score going into the final quarter was 89-76.

Utah cut it to eleven but cannot overhaul Dallas

The lead reached 20 points with 10:47 to play (96-76). The Jazz then went on an 8-0 run, from 96-76 to 96-84 at 9:00. With 6:18 left, Dallas still led 102-91. Utah won the final period 24-23, a score that did not change the verdict: 112-100 to the Mavericks.

Individual lines

For the Mavericks, P.J. Washington finished with 26 points, six three-pointers and 6 rebounds. Cooper Flagg added 21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists and a plus-minus of +17. Off the bench, Morez Johnson Jr. pulled down 17 rebounds in 24 minutes, with 13 points and a plus-minus of +20. Santi Aldama totalled 9 rebounds and a +17 in 13 minutes. Kyrie Irving finished with 14 points, on 7 of 20 shooting from the field and without a three-pointer. Walter Clayton Jr. added 12 points in 23 minutes; starter Daniel Gafford played only 18 minutes, scoring 7 points on 2 of 2 shooting.

For the Jazz, Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points, with eight three-pointers and 8 rebounds. Darryn Peterson added 21 points, 5 assists and 3 blocks. Keyonte George finished with 9 assists and 5 turnovers, in a game in which Utah gave the ball away 21 times. Ace Bailey scored 12 points, with no assists and 3 turnovers.

Josh Okogie, born in Lagos, Nigeria, finished with 12 points, 4 rebounds and 2 steals in 24 minutes off the bench. On the Dallas side, Moussa Cissé, born in Conakry, Guinea, played just one minute.

The game in numbers

The number that sums up the night is offensive rebounds: 21 for Dallas, 8 for Utah. Morez Johnson Jr. grabbed 10 of them on his own, more than the entire Jazz team. Those second chances fed a 48 points to 36 advantage in the paint. The substitutes also widened the gap: 44 points for the Dallas bench, 19 for Utah's, including 12 from Josh Okogie. The Mavericks led for 63% of playing time, the Jazz for 27%, in a game that saw nine lead changes.

Three key stats

Twenty points up, then a cushion to protect. Dallas went 20 points clear at 10:47, before seeing Utah cut the deficit to 12 points on the next run. The lead built in the third quarter (32-19, including 13-0 and 8-0 runs) was enough to hold the margin until the end.

The Mavericks win despite shooting 9 of 32 from three. They took 55 rebounds to 41, attempted 93 shots to 82 and made 25 of 31 free throws, against 13 of 14 for Utah. They also turned the ball over five fewer times, 16 against 21.

The Jazz shot more accurately but never got in front on the final scoreboard. Utah made 15 of 39 three-pointers and 36 of 82 shots in all, with better overall and long-range shooting percentages than Dallas. The Mavericks nonetheless made more baskets in total, 39 to 36, with a clear edge on the boards and fewer turnovers.

The SNA view

Dallas won through volume: 11 more shots attempted, 14 more rebounds, 5 fewer turnovers, 12 more free throws made. With 28% shooting from three, the Mavericks did not build their win on outside shooting, but on shot volume, rebounding and the third quarter. Utah scored from behind the arc with 15 of 39, but did not secure the boards or the ball well enough. Conceding a 20-point lead with ten minutes to play leaves very little margin, even with a final quarter won. And while P.J. Washington made the difference on the scoresheet, Cooper Flagg (21 points, 10 rebounds, 7 assists, +17) was the most complete player on the floor: Dallas's game runs through him when the outside shot is not falling.

What's next: Dallas move to 5-4 and sit 10th in the Western Conference, while Utah are 1-8, 14th in the West (standings as of 7 November). The Mavericks host Brooklyn on 9 November at 1:30 Brazzaville time. The Jazz travel to Minnesota the same day, half an hour earlier, at 1:00.