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Dallas Mavericks Triumph Over Utah Jazz 124-111 In Doncic's Absence
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It was now time for the Dallas young stars to flourish because Kyrie Irving wasn't there yet and Luka Doncic wasn't playing.
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After finalising a deal for Irving, the shorthanded Mavericks stunned the Utah Jazz 124-111 on Monday night with 29 points from Josh Green and 29 points from Jaden Hardy.
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Green stated that while "Luka (and Irving) are going to have their incredible nights, the rest of us need to be able to step up if we want to be a championship team."
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The Brooklyn Nets gave the Mavericks the eight-time All-Star and Markieff Morris in exchange for Spencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a first-round pick in 2029, and two second-round picks in the future.
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Irving and Morris got to Dallas on Monday to get checked out, so they couldn't play in the game. But their new team came together thanks to Green, who averages 8.1 points per game, and Hardy, who averages 5.6 points per game.
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"We thought we could win from the beginning of the game," Hardy said. "It didn't look like the Jazz were really trying. They came out late to warm up before the game with no big deal.
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When Green was on the court, the Mavericks scored 39 more points than the Jazz. It was their first win in eight tries without Doncic, who averages 33.4 points per game and is their top scorer.
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Coach Jason Kidd of Dallas said, "The guys believed, and Josh set the tone." "He knows how to play and doesn't mind being in the spotlight."
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Doncic missed his third game in 10 days because of a bruise on his heel. On Jan. 28, when the Slovenian star was out with a sprained ankle, the Jazz beat the Mavs 108-100. This time, the Mavericks beat the Jazz in almost every way, including on the boards, where they won 49-37.
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"It was shown when McKinley Wright, who is 5 feet 11 inches tall, boxed Utah's Walker Kessler, who is 7 feet 1 inch tall. "Even though we were small, tonight was very physical for us," Kidd said.
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After scoring a total of 12 points in six games, Hardy had a career night. Dwight Powell also had a career night, scoring 12 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds.
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Hardy said, "It was a lot of fun" twice, and his smile didn't leave his face for a long time.Jordan Clarkson led Utah with 26 points on 7-for-19 shooting, and Lauri Markkanen added 19. This was the first time in the last 21 games that Markkanen didn't reach 20 points.
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"They did a better job than we did. We worked harder than they did. Markkanen said, "Give them credit, but I don't think we were ready to play."
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The Jazz are now 7-5 during a stretch in which they play 11 of their next 13 games at home. They had hoped to catch up to teams like Dallas during this time, but they are now two games behind the Mavs.
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The Jazz have trouble when their 3-point shots don't go in, and they often don't get back on defence quickly enough. The young Mavs were ahead of the Jazz in fast break points, 27 to 4.
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Utah coach Will Hardy remarked, “This is the first game all season that I just feel disappointed in our focus. We didn't pay enough attention to the details. We lost because they had 27 transition points and 24 second-chance points.
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With multiple rotations and the bench earning considerable minutes, the Mavericks sometimes appeared out of sync. They took a 75-66 lead by sprinting at every opportunity and going on a 23-6 run between the second and third quarters.
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In the fourth quarter, the Jazz got within one possession of the Mavs, but they could never catch up.