The Roundup—Jazz 82, Mavericks 87

In a game where both teams shot below 38 percent from the field, the Dallas Mavericks did just enough to capture an 87-82 win over the Utah Jazz as the teams now head into the All-Star break.

After two consecutive 30-point games, Gordon Hayward fell back down to earth against Dallas. Hayward scored only 12 points (on 5-for-14 shooting), though he did add nine rebounds and eight assists for a near triple-double.

Trey Burke rebounded from an 0-for-10 performance on Monday to score 16 points on 6-for-15 shooting. Derrick Favors (14 points), Steve Novak (12 points) and Elijah Millsap (10 points) also scored in double figures for the Jazz.

All-Star Dirk Nowitzki (15 points, 14 rebounds) was quiet on the offensive end. J.J. Barea, however, was not. The veteran point guard, who started because of an injury to Rajon Rondo, scored a game-high 22 points and went 4-for-7 from 3-point range.

Utah went only 6-for-12 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter. Those misses made a huge difference in a close game. Overall, the Jazz shot 11-for-21 (52.4 percent), marking the ninth straight game that the Jazz failed to shoot better than 70 percent from the line.

Burke provided the necessary spark off the bench, but (besides Novak) nobody else provided much support for the Jazz. Besides his 16 points, Burke added six rebounds, four assists and a steal in 27 minutes.

The Jazz cut Dallas’ lead to two with 1:49 left in the game but could never equalize. A turnover by Hayward on Utah’s next possession led to two free throws by Monta Ellis. Millsap then had his shot blocked, and Nowitzki proceeded to hit another pair of freebies. And then, with Utah down by three with a chance to tie in the final 10 seconds, another turnover by Hayward ended the comeback attempt.

Burke and Novak each went 4-for-6 from deep. Trevor Booker beat the shot clock with a 3-pointer in the final minute of the third quarter, and Hayward and Millsap added one three each. As a team, the Jazz went 11-for-29 from beyond the arc.

Rudy Gobert swatted four shots against the Mavs, and his first was his most emphatic. Late in the first quarter, Dallas’ Bernard James went up for a layup ... that ended up in the fifth row (thanks to Gobert, of course). As a team, the Jazz blocked seven shots. 

Hayward scored the game’s first points at the 7:47 mark of the first quarter. The teams combined to shoot 0-for-12 over the game’s first four minutes. ... Dallas made at least 10 3-pointers for the ninth straight game. ... Nowtzki scored in double digits against the Jazz for the 54th consecutive time. ... Joe Ingles missed his third straight game due to back spasms.

The Jazz will have just over a week to rest during the All-Star break before their next game, which is on Friday, February 20 against the Portland Trail Blazers at EnergySolutions Arena. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. MT and the game will be televised on ROOT SPORTS.