GAME 60: DAL (35-25) vs. UTA (37-22)| 109-114 loss

[SwisherPrice]

Playoff Preview if these teams match up in the first round. Mavs aren't going to get any calls and the Jazz are just gonna drain threes

[dirkfansince1998]

Gunning for the 3. Terrible decision from Luka.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

Bad shot by Luka.

[MaxiThreeba]

Luka ball down the stretch was really bad.  4 guys standing around watching for the last few minutes. 

Mavs really have to figure out alternatives to hoping for supernova Luka…and yes a chunk of that falls to Luka figuring out how to contribute without the ball.

[SleepingHero]

I don't know. Had the refs called it honest then Luka would've gotten several trips to the free throw line.

[SwisherPrice]

Bad Kleber tonight...very hard to win when he shoots poorly but that's just who he is as a player on offense. Will be good some nights and completely terrible some nights

[dirkfansince1998]

Someone needs to explain why the team played better defense with Bertans on the floor. Bullock, Doncic and DFS looked way worse on defense.
Not a suprise that the Mavs cannot close a game when Luka and Brunson have an off night.

[MaxiThreeba]

I don't know. Had the refs called it honest then Luka would've gotten several trips to the free throw line.

Not incorrect.  Gobert is nothing less than dirty and Jazz wing defenders get to mug ball handlers all game. 

If these two teams match up in the playoffs the Mavs have to figure out some different avenues of attack late.

[Kammrath]

That loss is on Luka....8-24 from the field, 6 asts & 4 TOs in the last 42 mins of the game, terrible defense, foul trouble, and -16. 

Positive is that the Mavs still had a chance IN Utah with that kind of game from Luka.

[ThisIStheYear]

Mavs got beat up on the boards and lost. Simple as that.

[SleepingHero]

If Powell made that lob, the momentum would've been all the Mavs way.

[Kammrath]

I wonder if SD and DB will occasionally make their way into the closing unit once they are more familiar with everything the Mavs are wanting to run.

[SleepingHero]

22-8 FT disparity. 

Mavs only shot 1 FT in the 2nd half. You can't even blame them for not being aggressive. I counted at least 6 blatant missed calls in the 2nd half that should've either resulted in an and-1 or a trip to the line.

[Chicagojk]

fun game...tough loss.  Mavs offense sort of dried up late.  Not much ball movement.  Jazz made some plays late.  Last 5 minutes of games...difference between good and great team.  

Gobert a factor late.  Maxi had some defensive plays, but sometimes feels skittish late in tough games.   Mitchell was the best player on the court tonight.  

Dwight Powell was great but the missed dunk in the fourth was big.  It looked like it was going to be an ESPN highlight dunk but just hit like a thud.  Nice game from the new comers.  Jalen had a quiet game...had three shots that went almost half way down.

[MaxiThreeba]

That loss is on Luka....8-24 from the field, 6 asts & 4 TOs in the last 42 mins of the game, terrible defense, foul trouble, and -16. 

Positive is that the Mavs still had a chance IN Utah with that kind of game from Luka.

He was not good.  He also turned it into one on one game and got his lunch money taken…even if the refs missed plenty of fouls.  Gobert got DPOY treatment from the Zebras. 

Really rough game for Luka though.  He was a negative for most of the night. Not expecting 45 point triple doubles every night but he was just far from the best player on the floor.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

I don't know. Had the refs called it honest then Luka would've gotten several trips to the free throw line.

Can't blame the refs every game. Luka was playing hero ball down the stretch and the fact he doesn't have a clear number two scorer won't bode well for them when Luka has a bad game. You don't need a big three, but definitely need a big two.

[SleepingHero]

Can't blame the refs every game. Luka was playing hero ball down the stretch and the fact he doesn't have a clear number two scorer won't bode well for them when Luka has a bad game. You don't need a big three, but definitely need a big two.

I don't blame the refs every game. It was obvious that they had a significant impact on this one. Called Luka for ticky tack fouls but let O'Neal and Gobert get away with plenty of contact the whole game.

Gobert reaching in on a drive is called 99%. The contact was there but the refs arbitrarily chose when to call it. The 22-8 FT disparity is the clearest example of that. 

Of course the Mavs still had chances to put it away, and Luka didn't hit his threes when he went hero ball. But it shouldn't have gotten to that point had the refs called it fair.

[Mavs03]

These refs were atrocious.  Plain and simple.  22 FT attempts from the Jazz to 8 FT attempts from the Mavs?  Give me a break.  With that said, Luka, Kleber and Brunson were subpar at best.  A combined 13-42 from the field.  Unacceptable.  Bertans and Dinwiddie were terrific today.  If THJ is healthy towards the end of the year, our bench will be one of the better ones in the league.

[HoosierDaddyKid]

^^ You could say that about every game. Every team complains about fouls or lack of calls. Sometimes you have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game. They usually give calls to the more aggressive team. Were the Jazz more aggressive?  They blow plenty of calls. Unfortunately that's the human side of it that we have to live with.

[SleepingHero]

^^ You could say that about every game. Every team complains about fouls or lack of calls. Sometimes you have to adjust to the way the refs are calling the game. They usually give calls to the more aggressive team. Were the Jazz more aggressive?  They blow plenty of calls. Unfortunately that's the human side of it that we have to live with.

I assume you also think the Heat were just the more aggressive team in 2006!