Bench Mob Holds Off Surging Dallas As Jazz Win Third Straight

February 10th, 2020 | by Dan Clayton

Clarkson led the Jazz with 25 and keyed the pivotal run in the second half. (Glenn James via espn.com)

A dominant start wasn’t quite enough for the Utah Jazz as they tried to earn a third straight win on Monday night in Dallas. The Mavericks came charging back, cutting a 23-point lead to just three midway through the third period. That’s when the Jordan Clarkson-led bench took over for Utah, building the lead back to double digits on the way to a 123-119 win.

Clarkson finished with 25 points and a season high-tying eight assists, and helped orchestrate a 19-4 run that spanned the late third and early fourth quarters. In probably his best floor game as a Jazz player, he was the key player in a second unit that helped turn the game for Utah.

Rudy Gobert and Bojan Bogdanovic dominated early as the Jazz built a big lead. Gobert had a double-double before halftime and would finish with a meaty 17-and-15 double-double on perfect 7-for-7 shooting. Bogdanovic saw extra possessions as a playmaker since Mike Conley took the night off for rest and injury management, and Bogey responded to the tune of 23 points. He and Gobert had the pick-and-roll chemistry working early, and they traded defensive assignments so that Gobert could stay closer to the paint while Bogdanovic chased Kristaps Porzingis around.

The Jazz lead hit its apex right before halftime, at 70-47. Little did they know, Dallas was about to get hot.

The Mavericks caught far from the outside, converting jump shots or free throws on 11 of their first 12 possessions to start the second half. The closest shot they took in that span was Jalen Bruson’s 12-footer — and it missed. They didn’t make their first shot inside 10 feet until 5:15 in the period, when a Jazz turnover led to Tim Hardaway Jr.’s run-out dunk to make it 83-78, Utah.

Moments later, Hardaway followed that up with an 8-foot floater, and suddenly the Mavs were as close as they’d been since midway through the first quarter.

That’s when Clarkson and fellow reserve guard Emmanul Mudiay took over. Those two had seven points each for Utah during the 19-4 run that restored order. For a 2-minute stretch in the late third, it was all Clarkson and Mudiay. The latter, pressed back into duty by Conley’s absense, started the run with a driving layup. After five quick points from Clarkson, it was Mudiay’s turn again, probing the baseline for a reverse layup. Clarkson then buried a difficult fadeaway jumper off glass, and then two possessions later drove middle just to suck in the defense and hit Mudiay for an open three.

The run continued in the early fourth quarter, when Clarkson blocked Delon Wright’s shot and the Jazz turned it into a transition dunk for Tony Bradley to go up 102-84. The bench had not only protected the lead, but rebuilt it. 

The Mavs would inch closer again after Utah had five empty offensive trips late in the fourth quarter. But Bogdanovic nailed a three over the smaller Seth Curry with 3:24 left, and then Gobert spun through the defense for a dunk at 2:22 to put the Jazz up 121-114. That would turn out to be the winning bucket (since the Mavs landed on 119 points), but Donovan Mitchell added a turnaround jumper to punctuate the win and move his own total to 23 points on the night.

The win moves the Jazz to two full games ahead of fifth-place Houston, and 3.5 games ahead of Dallas. They also clinched the tiebreaker against the Mavs should they need it, winning the first two games of the season series, with only one remaining (March 26 in Texas).

Utah still trails second-place Denver and the third-place Clippers by two games in the loss column. 

Stats of the Game

  • 8: The number of assists handed out by Clarkson and by Utah’s Joe Ingles. With Conley out, the playmaking of those two made a real difference.
  • 100%: Monday marked the second time this season Gobert had at least 17 points and 16 rebounds in a game in which he didn’t miss a shot from the field… and both of them came against Dallas. He had 22-and-17 on 8-for-8 shooting the last time the two teams met. Clint Capela (then of the Rockets) is the only other NBA player to have such a game this season.
  • +20: The Jazz outscored the Mavs 54-34 in the paint. The only reason the game was close is that Dallas scored 21 points off of 21 Jazz turnovers, a +12 advantage in TO points.

Line of the Game

Clarkson had his most complete game as a Jazz player, with 25 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and a team-best +17. He also hit 10 of 17 shots, including 4-for-8 from deep. 

Decisive Moment

After blowing a big lead, Utah needed its second unit to withstand the surging Mavs, and instead they did far better. The 19-4 run spanned from 4:30 in the 3rd to the 11 minute mark in the 4th, and put the Jazz in control for good. 

Highlight of the Game

There were other plays that mattered more than this one, but this is a perfect illustration of how Gobert and Bogey just toyed with Dallas early on. Watch as Bogdanovic threads the ball through Porzingis’ legs, then slips a perfect pass down to a waiting Gobert.

Social

Don’t hate, Mark:

(For the record, he was mad that a late foul was whistled on Mitchell, and not on Gobert. It would have been Gobert’s sixth foul, resulting in disqualification from the final 2:10.)

Notes

  • The Mavs fell to a .500 record at home (14-14), but obviously the absence of All-Star starter Luka Doncic played a big role here.
  • Utah’s effective field goal percentage for the game (.686, excluding heaves) was better than 99% of all team shooting performances in the NBA this season.
  • They were also in the 99th percentile for shooting percentage at the rim, where they went 21-for-23.
  • Hardaway finished with a season-high 33 points. Porzingis had 28.

    Up Next

    The Jazz are done with road games for the month of February! They’ll host the Miami Heat on Wednesday, and then the NBA will adjourn for more than a week as part of the All-Star break. Utah will continue a 6-game homestand after the break. 

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