Playoff Seeding Begins to Solidify as Jazz Lose to The Mavericks

Jarrell Brantley and Utah’s other deep reserves saw extended run in Monday’s loss. (Ashley Landis-Pool via espn.com)

The Utah Jazz lose to the Mavericks and all is right in the world … for now. If playoff seeding wasn’t on your mind already, it is now.

Are we really rooting for the Jazz to lose just to avoid a matchup in the playoffs? Absolutely. Yes. Unequivocally. The previous two Jazz seasons have ended at the hands of James Harden and the Houston Rockets. Aside from a few competitive games, these series haven’t been much of a contest. They’ve been a beatdown. Needless to say, the Rocket-hate goes beyond the playoffs. Whether it’s their style of play or the constant pleading and complaining to refs, it is fairly clear Jazz Nation does not want to play the Rockets in the first round.

Entering this game, the Jazz were the 6-seed, ½ game back from the Thunder. In order to avoid the 4-5 matchup against the 4-seed Houston Rockets, at minimum, the Jazz basically need to end their season with the same record as the Thunder, as OKC holds the tie-breaker. Thus, the chances of finding themselves matched up against the Rockets would significantly increase with a Jazz win vs. the Mavericks.

For Utah, Donovan Mitchell sat out with a left lower leg peroneal strain. For Dallas, Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis both sat out. With the three most talented scorers out, one might assume this game was destined to be a low-scoring, defensive outing. But it certainly was not. In fact, through most of the game, the Jazz were on track to shatter their franchise three-point record for makes in a game.

The Jazz came out aggressive, confident, and looking to shoot the three. In the first quarter alone, Utah made nine of 15 from three, breaking a single quarter record for made threes. By the end of the first quarter, the Jazz started to pull away from the Mavericks, and by the end of the first half, the Jazz were up 70-54. This first half clinic was led by Jordan Clarkson, who went five for seven from three, Mike Conley who went three of four, and Georges Niang who went four for four.  

At this point, Coach Snyder had clearly seen enough. Ed Davis, Georges Niang, Miye Oni, Emmanuel Mudiay, and Rayjon Tucker started the second half. However, this second-unit made it interesting as they continued with the hot shooting from the arc. With just under six minutes to go in the third quarter, the Jazz were still up 88-70. 

Midway through the Jazz-Mavericks game, the red-hot Suns took down the Thunder, which meant the Jazz were then tied with the 5-seed Thunder, and ever-closer to matching up against the dreaded Rockets in the first round. After what seemed like enough time for the team to realize they really needed a loss to stay in the 6-seed, the Jazz seemed to subtly take their foot off the gas and let the Mavericks back into the game. A little under the six-minute mark in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks took the lead and would hold that lead until the end of the game. 

Currently as it stands, the Jazz are still the 6-seed, and a half game back from the Thunder. In order for Utah to secure the 6-seed, a few things need to happen. First, if the Jazz lose to the Spurs, and the Mavericks lose to either the Suns or the Trailblazers, the Jazz will secure the 6-seed. Second, if the Jazz beat the Spurs, and the Thunder either beat the Heat or the Clippers, the Jazz will secure the 6-seed.

The biggest threat to the current seeds holding through the end of the week is if the Thunder slip. However, the Mavericks also have a chance to jump the Jazz from the 7-seed, which would mean the Jazz could play the Clippers. At the end of the day, anything but the Rockets.

Stat of the Game

100%. That’s Georges Niang’s shooting percentage from the arc from Monday’s game. Niang went four for four. This is a wonderful sign for the Jazz, who currently rely heavily on three-point shooting yet lack their best shooter in Bogdanovic. Over the last two games, Niang is seven for nine from three. But before this recent stretch, the bubble hasn’t necessarily been friendly to the “Minivan.” Before these last two games, Niang was shooting roughly 13% in the bubble. This should not need repeating, but the Jazz may end up bowing out or getting past the first round because of how Niang shoots the three.

Line of the Game

In just 14 minutes, Jordan Clarkson was a +14, going six of nine, shooting 71% from three. Clarkson ended up with 18 points and three rebounds. Considering his hot start for the Jazz this season, this hasn’t been a complete outlier. But Clarkson’s confidence in the bubble has been palpable. Particularly over the last few games, Clarkson has really come into his J. Crawford bench role for the Jazz, and fortunately he’s playing like vintage Crawford as well. 

Decisive Moment

During the final minutes of the game, things seemed to tighten up. With 6:34 left, Justin Wright-Foreman made a three to put the Jazz up one. However, over the next minute, the Mavericks responded with back-to-back threes from Trey Burke and Seth Curry.

Highlight of the Game

ｓｈｅｅｓｈ @JordanClarksons pic.twitter.com/DtxCbAlWa4

— utahjazz (@utahjazz) August 10, 2020

Notes

• Monday wasn’t just about Clarkson and Niang as the Jazz bench was a bright spot throughout the game. 
• Mudiay played strong and efficient up until late in the fourth when the Jazz arguably took their foot off the gas. 
• Miye Oni and Brantley continue to show the rousing success of the Jazz ability to develop players. Each provided several plays showing steps in their progress. Oni looked aggressive and confident aside from his missed dunk. Brantley hit a three, showing off his clean, improved shooting form.