Don’t look now, but the Dallas Mavericks are starting to put it together. They’ll have a chance to prove they’re for real against the Jazz.
After an expected slow start, the Dallas Mavericks are beginning to put it all together. On Wednesday night, they’ll have their best shot to prove that they’re coming back when the Utah Jazz comes to town.
The Mavs (5-8) have quietly won three out of their past four games, and they’re doing it in an unexpected way — defense.
Their last two opponents, the rebuilding Chicago Bulls, and the out-of-sorts Oklahoma City Thunder have gotten a rude taste of the Mavs renewed commitment to defense. The high-scoring Bulls were held to 98 points, and the Thunder two points less. While their defense has powered the way for the Mavs, their offense, which was their perceived biggest strength, has not faltered, lighting up the Thunder for 111 points.
Leading the way has been their prized rookie, Luka Doncic, who is the team’s leading scorer at 19.6 points per game. Doncic has been a great as advertised in Dallas and is proving more than capable of picking up the torch from the aging Dirk Nowitzki.
But they’re going to be in for a hard test against Utah, which has had their number so far this season.
Jazz at Mavericks live stream details:
When: Wednesday, Nov. 11
Time: 8:30 pm EST/7:30 pm CST
Where: Dallas, TX
Venue: American Airlines Center
TV Info: AT&T SportsNet (Jazz), Fox Sports Southwest (Mavericks)
Live Stream: FuboTV (sign up for a free seven-day trial), NBA League Pass
In their first meeting of the season in Dallas, the Jazz shot over 52 percent from the floor in a 113-104 win. Just last week in Utah, the Jazz, once again, couldn’t miss from the floor in 117-102 rout, and rising star Donovan Mitchell has done the most damage, compiling 43 points and 11 assists against Dallas.
This is a different Mavs team, however. One that firmly believes that it can compete with the likes of Utah in the West. Time will tell, but one thing is for sure — these aren’t your same-old Dallas Mavericks anymore.