The Dallas Mavericks (5-7) are locked in NBA Hell at the moment after suffering their fourth-straight clutch loss, this time against the Utah Jazz (3-8) at the Delta Center, 115-113. A furious fourth-quarter Dallas comeback attempt was rendered comically moot by the previous three quarters’ worth of bad body language and even worse defense and rebounding.
The lineups head coach Jason Kidd tinkered with early on were ridiculous, and without the steadying hand of Kyrie Irving in the lineup, the shorthanded Mavericks sputtered, found it, sputtered again, came back, then collapsed in the game’s final minutes after putting together a 25-7 run in the failed fourth-quarter comeback.
There were some good individual contributions along the way, but the Dallas effort on Thursday in Salt Lake City looked like an assembly of shiny parts more than a finished product. Here’s how the Mavs grade out in their latest fart-and-fall-down loss.
Luka Doncic: C+
37 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds
Dončić’s step-back 3-pointer was falling early, a welcome sight after the team’s less-than-spectacular 5-6 start. He hit 2-of-3 from deep in the first quarter before missing all four of his 3-point attempts in the second quarter. He made the adjustment as his jumper cooled off and fashioned himself into a battering ram on the way to the bucket for a couple of driving scores and drive-and-kicks.
Dončić provided the necessary spark after Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford exited to the locker room in the third quarter. Gafford had an apparent injury, and Lively had just picked up his fifth foul when he was seen making his way down the tunnel. Gafford returned with a little over three minutes to play in the third, while Lively returned in the fourth. Dončić hit a floating banker with 6:28 left in the third, then nailed a long 3-ball the next time down to bring the Mavs to within 81-78 and force a Utah timeout.
In the fourth, as the Mavericks stormed back from what had ballooned to a 16-point Utah lead, Dončić nailed a 3-pointer with Kyle Filipowski’s hand in his face to tie the game, 108-108, with 2:15 left, then found Dereck Lively II on a lob the next time down to take a brief lead before the Jazz closed the game out in the final two minutes.
But I mean, losing John Collins for an easy game-winning dunk while standing flat-footed on defense with six seconds remaining is just inexcusable, and it’s indicative of a certain degree of pout our resident supernova puts on tape far more than he should.
Klay Thompson: B+
17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists
Klay Thompson poured it in for a second straight game where the Mavericks needed everything he could give them. Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the game and his second of the second quarter dragged the lethargic Mavericks back in front, 47-45 with 4:45 left before halftime. His fourth came in transition on a perfect lead pass from Dončić that gave the Mavs a 61-55 lead two minutes into the third.
Naji Marshall: A
19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals
Marshall had a big game, and this looks very repeatable. He converted a tough drive through the lane with a double-pump through contact over Filipowski with four minutes left in the second. After completing the 3-point play, the Mavs were in front 50-47 and showing signs of life again to close out the first half. He got past Filipowski again with 1:45 for a lay-in that see-sawed the Mavs back in front, 56-55. His aggressiveness getting to the hoop provided the offense with a welcome sense of balance while Dončić, Thompson and Grimes attacked primarily along the perimeter.
He played well in the two-man game beside Dončić in the second half, knocking down floaters, getting to the basket and even flashing a little playmaking ability in the loss. He picked Keyonte George’s pocket on the perimeter and converted the contested layup in transition to bring the Mavs to within five, down 106-103, with 4:14 left to play.
Daniel Gafford: C+
10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots
Gafford came off the bench against the Jazz, but he had to leave early in the third quarter after slipping while jostling for an offensive rebound. He could be seen walking gingerly to the locker room with about eight minutes left in the third. He checked back in late in the third, so whatever happened must not have been too serious.
Dereck Lively: D+
5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocked shots
Lively got the start in place of Gafford in Utah, but foul trouble kept him from putting his stamp on the first half. He picked up two quick blocked shots, including an impressive stop against Collins inside with 7:50 left in the first quarter. He was physical on both ends of the floor — perhaps a little two aggressive, though. He picked up two quick fouls in the first and picked up his third early in the second quarter, giving him three in just over six minutes on the floor in the first half.
He fouled Filipowski inside with 10:45 left in the third, then fouled Lauri Markkanen on a 3-point play deep in the lane a minute or so later, and he was basically in jail the rest of the evening. He went to the locker room after his fifth foul, but returned in the fourth.
In his absence, Collins, the long-time Mavs killer, cleaned up for 28 points for Utah.
Quentin Grimes: A-
15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds
With Kyrie Irving out nursing a shoulder injury against the Jazz, the Mavericks leaned more on Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie for important minutes. Grimes stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up for the Mavs in the first quarter. His jumper looked smooth, and he hit two big 3-pointers as the quarter wore on and Dallas clung to its early lead.
He hit his third on a nice drive-and-kick from Naji Marshall with 5:20 left in the second to pull the Mavs back to within one, down just 45-44, before completing a tough 3-point play through Jordan Clarkson on an assist from Dončić with a minute to go before halftime.
It’s been a puzzle for Grimes to start the season, getting inconsistent minutes through the first 12 games of the season, but here’s a little bit of trivia (overheard in the Mavs Moneyball Slack channel) that hopefully points toward the free-agent addition finding his way in the Mavericks rotation: Grimes posted 15 points and four assists in the first half on Thursday. Josh Green, whose position in the lineup Grimes took more or less took over, only recorded seven games of 15 points and four assists in his 223 games in a Mavericks uniform.
Grimes didn’t have near the impact on the second half, when he was held scoreless, as he did on the first.
Spencer Dinwiddie: D+
0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals
Dinwiddie came in for the first time late in the first quarter and immediately committed two turnovers in his first 1:45 of playing time late. With Grimes fitting into the rotation as effectively as he did, Dinwiddie only saw about five more minutes on the floor in the first half. He came back in midway through the third and promptly threw a pass behind a cutting Dwight Powell, who was charged for the turnover when it landed in Collins’ hands down low, but it took two to dance that bone-headed tango.
