By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
The Dallas Mavericks are still on a roll after protecting their home court against the Utah Jazz, 113-97, in the ongoing NBA regular season on March 22, 2024.
With the win, the Mavericks just stretched its winning streak to three straight games and jumped into the sixth place in the Western Conference standings.
Despite a turnover-plagued first quarter that allowed the Jazz to take a slim 27-26 advantage, Dallas was quick to bounce back after finding its offensive groove in the second frame, outscoring Utah, 27-15, to build a decent double-digit lead heading into the second half.
The Jazz continued to fight and got huge scoring spurts from Collin Sexton and Walker Kessler but Dallas sent the final blow in the fourth courtesy of their dynamic duo, Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving.
Both superstars answered the call for head coach Jason Kidd as the 1-2 punch hosted a massive scoring rally to balloon their cushion back to double-digits in the final five minutes of the game.
Doncic had another near triple-double performance and led the Mavericks with 34 points, nine rebounds, eight assists, and four steals.
Meanwhile, Irving woke up in the second half and bucked a slow start to contribute 16 markers, seven dimes, five rebounds, and two steals.
Electric center Daniel Gafford was also solid for the Mavericks after becoming their second-best scorer with 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists.
Despite a balanced attack from Utah, the Mavericks outdueled them in the most crucial stretch of the fourth quarter to grab the momentum-boosting win.
Dallas will aim for its fourth straight NBA victory on March 26, 2024, as they prepare for a rematch against the Jazz on the road.
