From the outside looking in, for the Dallas Mavericks, Thursday’s home game against the Utah Jazz looks eerily similar to
Tuesday’s road game against the San Antonio Spurs.
Like the Spurs, the Jazz are more than likely headed to the NBA Draft Lottery. In other words – like the Spurs did to the Mavs on Tuesday – the Jazz will be playing footloose and fancy free and without a care in the world.
But for some teams, sometimes those are the hardest games to prepare for, because the opponent has absolutely nothing at stake. After easing by the Spurs, 113-107, the Mavs must ward against falling into that same rough predicament versus a Utah team that has lost 14 of its last 17 games.
“I feel like (Tuesday’s game against the Spurs) was one of those tests for us where we had our foot off the gas pedal a little bit to start off the game,” Mavs guard Kyrie Irving said. “We were going back-and-forth with them, trading punches. We gave them confidence, and they came out of halftime 
and took the lead for a little bit and going into the fourth quarter. It was a tough game.
“When you don’t handle your business early and you give other teams confidence, I mean they’re pros, too, so the respect was there. But I think some of our adjustments that we talked about going into the game, we didn’t execute them at a high level.”
And with precious higher playoff seedings in the Western Conference on the line, the Mavs know offensive execution should be paramount this time of the season. Thus, the Mavs found a way to gut-out a six-point win over the Spurs, and that game gave them the perfect blueprint on how to avoid a repeat situation against a similar opponent like the Jazz.
“It was one of those ugly games, but it’s a true testament to us just staying the course, being mature about it down the stretch, staying poised and getting to our spots when we needed,” Irving said of the matchup with the Spurs. “We didn’t shoot the ball particularly well, but I feel like we put ourselves in a great position to win the ball game down the stretch.”
*Starting this past Wednesday, this is the only game the Mavs have until they face the Jazz in Utah on Monday. This extra time with no games gives
the Mavs some much-needed time to rest before they hit the stretch run of the regular season. After playing the Jazz in Utah, the Mavs will play a pair of pivotal games in Sacramento on Tuesday and March 29. Then, they finish the rugged five-game road trip with a game in Houston on March 31 and a game in San Francisco against the Golden State Warriors on April 2 before returning to Dallas to open a two-game home stand on April 4 against the Atlanta Hawks.
*For the Jazz, this is the middle game of a three-game road trip and also the second night of a back-to-back. Utah started this journey from Salt Lake City with Wednesday’s 119-107 loss at Oklahoma City. The trip concludes with Saturday’s game in Houston before the Jazz fly back to Utah to host the Mavs on Monday.
*Except for guard Josh Green, the Mavs are relatively healthy. Green has a right ankle sprain which he suffered during a game on March 14 at Oklahoma City. Before Sunday’s 107-105 barnburner of a win over the defending world champion Denver Nuggets, Mavs coach Jason Kidd said Green could be sidelined “a couple of weeks.”
*The Mavs are 81-108 all-time against the Jazz, including a 57-36 record during games played in Dallas. In the head-to-head matchups this season, the Mavs and Jazz are 1-1. The Mavs drilled the Jazz in Dallas, 147-97, on Dec. 6, behind 40 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists from Luka Dončić. The 
Jazz returned the favor and defeated the Mavs in Utah, 127-90, on Jan. 1, behind 20 points, 10 rebounds and 11 assists off the bench from Jordan Clarkson.
*Mavs point guard Luka Dončić leads the NBA in scoring (34.1), second in three-pointers made (3.9), third in assists (9.8), tied for eighth in steals (1.4), and 17th in rebounds (9.0), while also shooting 48.8 from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point land. Kyrie Irving (25.4 ppg, 5.1 rpg, 5.2 apg), Tim Hardaway Jr. (15.5 ppg), Daniel Gafford (11.1 ppg, 7.5 rpg, 1.8 bpg) and P.J. Washington (10.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) have also been huge factors for the Mavs.
*The Jazz are led by Lauri Markkanen (23 ppg, 8.3 rpg), Collin Sexton (18.4 ppg) and Jordan Clarkson (17.4 ppg, 5.0 apg). Also for Utah, John Collins is averaging 14.6 ppg and 8.5 rpg, and rookie guard Keyonte George averages 12.8 ppg. George was born in Lewisville and played high school basketball there until transferring to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., in time for his senior season. George played one season at Baylor before becoming the No. 16 overall pick of last summer’s NBA Draft.
UTAH JAZZ (29-40) at DALLAS MAVERICKS (40-29)
When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday
Where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
TV: WFAA, UniMás 49,
Radio: 97.1 FM The Freak; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice
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