3 things from a Dallas Mavericks demolition of the Utah Jazz, 102-77

The Dallas Mavericks crushed the Utah Jazz 102-77 Monday night in Dallas. The 25-point margin doesn’t do justice to Dallas’ loss to Utah. The Game 5 win puts the Mavericks in the series 3-2. Dallas can close out the series Thursday at Utah.

The Mavericks were aggressive early on and their defense stifled the Jazz for much of the first half. Although Dallas is playing small, they dominated the inside in the first half. They lived on the edge, going 10 of 12 into the restricted area. They also outscored the Jazz 30-22 on the second chance point. This helped them overcome early turnover issues and go into the half 52-36. It was the lowest scoring half of the season for the Jazz and the fewest runs allowed by the Mavericks in the first half of a playoff game since 2011, against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Dallas opened the game wide in the third quarter. Luka Doncic scored 19 points dissecting the Jazz, and the Mavericks never looked back. They took the game one step at a time and gave their first-timers some well-deserved rest.

Doncic led all scorers with 33 points and 13 rebounds. Jalen Brunson added 24 points. Jordan Clarkson led the Jazz with 20 points off the bench.

Here are three elements of the game:

The Jazz managed to shoot 3-pointers, but couldn’t make them

One of the Mavericks’ goals this series was to limit the number of 3-pointers the Jazz attempted. Instead, they wanted to chase Utah from the 3-point line and into midrange floaters or hard shots at the rim. And through four games, it worked. The Jazz finished second in the league in shots from deep during the regular season, shooting 40 per game. But the Mavericks ended that for four games, allowing the Jazz to take just 28 3-pointers per game.

In Game 5, the Jazz were able to create looks behind the arc. They just couldn’t hit them. Utah shot 3 for 30 on 3-pointers, the most attempts they’ve had in the series, but still just 10 percent. That’s significantly lower than their already mediocre shooting from deep so far in the playoffs. The Jazz were hitting just 32% of their 3-point shots in that game, down a bit from their 36% on 3-point shots this season. In Game 6, the Mavericks will have to stop 3-point attempts again, but if they’re struggling to do so, it’s good to know the Jazz aren’t lighting it up from downtown right now.

Luka Doncic and the Mavericks figured out the offense

In Game 4, it was evident Doncic’s comeback by a wrench in Dallas’ offensive machine that had won two games in a row. This is usually the case whenever a high-use player like Doncic runs out of time and then comes back. Everyone gets used to a more involved role for a few games and then has to go back to their more limited positions once things get back to normal. We saw it in the first half of Game 4, but the Mavericks started to figure things out in the second half. They just couldn’t line things up in time to get the win.

That wasn’t the case in Game 5. The Mavericks stumbled a bit early on, struggling with turnovers. But once they cleaned up their stuff, they found a rhythm and started to make room between themselves and the Jazz. In the third quarter, everyone was locked in and completely leading the attack. Watch Doncic waltz his way to the basket here:

It’s a perfect pick-and-roll execution from Doncic and Dwight Powell with a back pick from Reggie Bullock to completely free the paint. The Mavericks performed cleanly starting in the second quarter. More importantly, Doncic and Jalen Brunson found a compromise while leading the attack. They struggled to find a rhythm with each other in Game 4. Tonight they looked more like they were in the regular season, and that’s bad news for Utah.

In the play above, Brunson’s movement and shooting ability cause Royce O’Neal to hesitate just enough for him to be late to help in the lane. It’s an example of how Brunson’s performance on the series keeps Utah from fully focusing on Doncic on every trip. The Jazz don’t have the perimeter defensive players to stop the two Mavericks point guards at guard, and they’re unlikely to find a solution by Game 6.

The Mavericks stayed small and always outgrew the Jazz

By necessity, the Mavericks have to play small, as they don’t have a big traditional player on the roster beside Boban Marjanovic. They go with a rotation of Powell and Maxi Kleber, and for short periods have even played Dorian Finney-Smith and Davis Bertans at center. Earlier in the series, this allowed the Jazz to dominate the glass and get plenty of second-chance points.

Not this evening. The Mavericks outscored the Jazz 49-40 and outscored them 14-8 on second chance points. They grabbed more offensive rebounds than Utah, 11-7. Doncic outshot Gobert 13-11. It was a gritty, tough performance from a Mavericks team that are showing more and more they can win rock fight matches.