The Dallas Mavericks clapped back hard at the Utah Jazz, grabbing a decisive 112-100 home win. But forget the final score for a second, the real headline here is that Dallas just flipped the script on their rebounding woes in a way that should make every other team in the league nervous. This wasn’t just a win, it was a statement about their identity on the glass, especially after that brutal outing against the Spurs.
Early Jitters and Washington’s Spark
Things kicked off looking good, with Dallas jumping to an 8-3 lead, and Cooper Flagg was absolutely everywhere. During one wild play, he saved the ball out of bounds, dished it to Kyrie Irving, then sprinted down the floor to tip in Irving’s missed three. You love to see that kind of hustle. But the Jazz aren’t exactly slouches, and they rallied back, tying the game at 15. That forced a timeout, and suddenly the offensive pace dipped. Lauri Markkanen started raining threes, hitting four of eight, but also picked up two fouls. By the end of the first, Dallas was actually down 28-26. The second quarter saw the Dallas defense struggle, especially with the bench unit in. Dribble penetration was killing them, just like it has all season, with nobody able to stay in front of their man. Utah built an eight point lead. Santi Aldama, making his Dallas debut, even immediately scored on an offensive rebound. But Dallas slowly worked their way back, thanks in huge part to PJ Washington, who kept his scorching start going, hitting his fifth three of the half and pacing Dallas with 22 points. The Jazz kept pace though, and the teams headed into halftime knotted up at 57-57.
Flagg Finds His Groove, Johnson Dominates the Boards
The third quarter, though? That’s where the Mavericks showed up in a big way. Cooper Flagg found his rhythm early and never let up, but the absolute star of the show was Morez Johnson Jr. This kid showed his pedigree, playing stellar defense and absolutely dominating the rebounding. He wasn’t just good, it may well have been his best stretch as a professional. The offensive rebounding and second-chance points Dallas generated proved absolutely pivotal, helping them take complete control of the game. By the time the third quarter buzzer sounded, Dallas had built a commanding 89-76 lead. The Jazz tried to mount a run in the fourth, even going on a 10-2 burst at one point, but Dallas decided to slam the door shut. They kept the pressure on, pushing after every miss and make, and held off Utah for a seriously satisfying performance.
Rebounding Problems? What Rebounding Problems?!
Remember just a couple days ago when the Spurs made Dallas look like a youth basketball team on the glass? Yeah, well, Dallas apparently took that personally. They absolutely thumped the Jazz on the glass at both ends of the court! Morez Johnson Jr. was a monster, pulling down a hilarious 17 rebounds, with 10 of those coming on the offensive end. The Mavericks managed to control both ends of the floor, and here’s the kicker: they did it without even having a stellar shooting game, hitting under 30 percent from three and under 45 percent from the floor. And still, they badly bodied the Jazz. So, it’s worth asking: was Dallas actually a bad rebounding team, or did they just have the misfortune of running into the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs a combined four times in their early schedule? This game makes you wonder if we’re seeing a new, tougher Dallas team on the boards.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Mavs Moneyball.
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