The Dallas Mavericks look to bounce back after failing to match the longest winning streak in franchise history when they close out a grueling three-game road trip against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Dallas (27-8) fell 101-98 to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday, snapping its 13-game win streak. The Mavericks took a 77-68 lead into the fourth quarter but surrendered 33 points over the final 12 minutes.
"We didn't have our normal fourth quarter," coach Avery Johnson said. "Everything we tried on them in the fourth quarter didn't work."
The Mavericks were on their second winning streak of at least 12 games this season and missed a chance to match the team record set during a 14-0 start in 2002-03.
Dallas has made strides on defense under Johnson, but allowed Los Angeles to shoot 54.9 percent - a season high for a Mavs opponent.
The Mavs' last loss before Sunday was a 101-79 defeat at Utah (24-10) on Dec. 11. Dallas shot a season-low 37.7 percent in that game, including a season-worst 15.0 percent (3-of-20) from 3-point range.
Dirk Nowitzki had 26 points and 10 rebounds in the contest, but he was the only Dallas starter in double figures. The starting backcourt of Jason Terry and Devin Harris combined to shoot 4-of-16 for 12 points.
Harris was outplayed by Jazz point guard Deron Williams, who had 18 points and seven assists. It was the second time that the former Big Ten rivals (Harris-Wisconsin, Williams-Illinois) started against each other in the NBA.
The Mavs also had no answer for Carlos Boozer, who had 31 points and 11 rebounds. It's the last time Boozer reached the 30-point mark.
Utah won for only the second time in its last nine meetings with Dallas.
Dallas opened this trip by rallying for a 90-85 victory over San Antonio on Friday.
Utah is seeking to improve upon its NBA-best 14-2 home record and win for the sixth time in eight games overall. The Jazz won 96-84 at Denver on Saturday.
Williams matched a career high with 28 points and added 12 assists. He scored 22 points in the first half as Utah built a 16-point lead at the break.
"I was just playing my game," Williams said. "I felt good out there."
Boozer notched his 26th double-double of the season with 24 points and 11 rebounds. He made 10 of 12 shots for his second-best performance from the field this season.
Despite Utah's gaudy home mark, Williams has struggled in Salt Lake City. He's shooting 39.8 percent at home compared to 52.3 percent on the road.
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