Utah Jazz Show Resilience in Close Road Loss to Mavericks 

The silence was deafening and the ensuing emotions said it all.

Utah Jazz head coach Will Hardy immediately grimaced while Keyonte George shed tears on the bench. 

As Taylor Hendricks went down with a right ankle injury midway through the third quarter, Utah was battling the defending Western Conference Champion Dallas Mavericks to a near draw on the road. Poised for a breakout season as a key member of the starting lineup, Hendricks’ injury sent a shock down the entire team’s core during a crucial stretch of Monday’s contest. 

“Obviously the most important thing right now is Taylor,” Hardy said postgame. “That’s hard to stomach. He’s put in a lot of hard work, he’s a great kid.”  

Although the Jazz ultimately lost 110-102, Monday night's story was the team’s resilience and battle on both ends of the floor. 

The first half came with a familiar feeling for the Utah Jazz, as shots weren’t falling as the team struggled to put points on the board against a physical Dallas Mavericks defense. However, Utah did crash the offensive glass to the tune of 10 offensive rebounds in the first 24 minutes, coupled with some stingy defense and success getting out on the break to keep the game close in the opening two quarters. 

The two teams combined to shoot 7-of-38 from beyond the arc in the first half, with Dallas holding a slight edge inside the paint (30-24). The Jazz were aggressive with their double-teaming of Luka Dončić, forcing the Dallas supporting cast to fire away from deep to little success in the opening stages. 

Dallas was able to find a better rhythm from beyond the arc in the third quarter, which resulted in five 3-pointers and helped extend the lead to double digits. Despite shots continuing to not fall, the Jazz used a combination of active defense, offensive rebounding, and trips to the charity stripe to remain within striking distance. 

Despite three consecutive 3-pointers from John Collins to open the final quarter, the Mavericks were able to maintain a double-digit lead through consistent scoring around the rim. In the end, Dallas found enough counters to pull out the win. 

“It was a hard-fought game against a good team,” Hardy added postgame. 

Here are three takeaways from Monday’s loss.

The running of the Young Bull 

Coming into Monday’s game, Collin Sexton was still looking to find his groove within the Jazz offense. For a Utah squad that needed every point it could muster in Dallas, Sexton was certainly up to the job. 

In his 28 minutes of action, the 25-year-old guard finished with a season-high 23 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Sexton spread out his scoring across the floor, with two 3-pointers and a couple of trips to the free-throw line supplementing his 14 points in the paint. 

As the Jazz continue to search for the first win of the season, Sexton’s surge is a much-welcomed sight. 

Stingy defense in the Big D

When you’re matching up against a team led by Dončić and Kyrie Irving, you know you’re in for a tough night in the office on the defensive end of the floor. To Utah’s credit, the effort and execution on that end consistently made life difficult for the Mavericks.

The Jazz limited Dončić to 15 points on 5-of-22 shooting from the field and Dallas shot 28.2 percent from beyond the arc. To help the offense, Utah forced 14 turnovers that led directly to 20 points. 

‘There were a lot of positives on the defensive end tonight,” Hardy added. “We did a good job guarding the ball individually for stretches… Overall, our defense is what kept us in the game.” 

Although it wasn’t enough Monday night, the defensive effort was a significant bounce-back performance following the first two games of the season.

Extra efforts were key for Jazz 

Monday night’s game wasn’t pretty on the eyes. 

With both teams shooting under 29 percent from beyond the arc and combining for 29 turnovers, it was the little things that added up to make a difference. 

The Jazz came out aggressive on both ends of the floor, which resulted in an early advantage on the offensive glass, consistent trips to the free-throw line, and some success on the fast break.

Utah finished with 15 offensive rebounds (for 18 second-chance points), 23 fast break points, and 29 trips to the charity stripe, all key factors that helped keep the game close until the final moments. 

Utah returns home to host the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night (7 p.m. MT, Jazz+).