Mavs put on a show -- at expense of Jazz


Reuters | Updated: 15-11-2018 09:41 IST | Created: 15-11-2018 09:41 IST

Dallas Mavericks forward Harrison Barnes continues to round into shape after missing the early season with an injury, leading the Dallas Mavericks to a 118-68 wipeout of the visiting Utah Jazz on Wednesday night.

Cheered on by a group of servicemen and women seated courtside during Dallas' annual "Seats for Soldiers" game, Barnes scored a game-high 19 points on 6 of 11 shooting as the Mavs secured their first three-game win streak of the season and first since last December.

The 50-point win marked the Mavs' largest margin of victory since beating Philadelphia by 53 points on Nov. 23, 2014, and it was the third 50-point victory in franchise history.

Dallas set a franchise record for fewest points allowed in any half, allowing the Jazz just 22 in the second half -- 13 in the third quarter and just nine in the fourth.

Dallas, which has shown marked improvement on the defensive end during the winning streak, used a 17-6 run to end the first quarter with a 30-24 lead, and then ran away with the game.

The Mavericks quickly blew open a 58-46 halftime lead with a 26-13 third quarter that gave the Mavs a 78-55 lead with 2:56 left in the quarter.

At that point, the Jazz, who entered the game tied with a league-high five road wins, were just 22 of 62 from the floor, including 6 of 28 from beyond the arc. The Jazz also finished with 21 turnovers.

It led to a full fourth quarter of garbage time that saw Dallas' lead swell to 41 points, 102-61, midway through the period, and hit 50, 118-68, with just under a minute to go.

Dallas stayed hot throughout, shooting well over 50 percent from the floor deep into the fourth quarter.

Luka Doncic contributed 13 points and six rebounds as the only other Mavs' starter to score in double-digits. For a third consecutive game, Dallas' bench played a significant role in the team's success.

Veteran guard J.J. Barea scored 14 points to go with five assists, Dwight Powell had 13 points, and forward Dorian Finney-Smith finished with 11, going 4 of 4 from the floor including draining all three of his 3-point attempts.

Utah's offense never got into a rhythm. Three Jazz starters scored in double figures, but none had more than Ricky Rubio's 11 points. He and guard Donovan Mitchell combined to go 6 of 18 from the floor and 2 of 8 from beyond the arc.

--Field Level Media

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)

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