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Deseret News - Jazz
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SALT LAKE CITY — It was harder than it probably should have been, but the Utah Jazz bounced back Saturday night from their Friday loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, beating the lowly Dallas Mavericks 97-90 at Vivint Arena.
Turning point: After a great start that saw them lead by as many as 15 in the first quarter, the Jazz struggled for much of the rest of the night. With the game tied at 87 with 4:20 left, the Jazz scored the game’s next six points, but didn’t put it away until the final seconds as Jae Crowder and Donovan Mitchell made two free throws apiece.
The hero: Mitchell led all scorers with 25 points and added six rebounds, five assists and two steals.
3 keys:
• Although Utah struggled shooting (40 percent from the field and 28 percent from behind the 3-point line), it managed to rack up 26 assists compared to 19 for the Mavericks. Joe Ingles led the Jazz with eight dimes.
• Utah scored 15 fast break points while Dallas had just three.
• The Jazz controlled the paint, scoring 46 points while the Mavericks finished with 30.
Jazz almanac: 31-29, Won 1
Playoff picture: The Jazz are in 10th place in the Western Conference, moving back to within a game of the ninth-place LA Clippers and two games behind the eighth-place New Orleans Pelicans, neither of whom played Saturday.
Next 3:
Monday, Feb. 26 vs. Houston (45-13), 7 p.m. MT
Friday, March 2 vs. Minnesota (37-26), 8:30 p.m. MT
Saturday, March 3 at Sacramento (18-40), 8 p.m. MT
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