Mitchell returns, Jazz end skid with win vs Mavs 117-102
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Donovan Mitchell scored 23 points in his return from an ankle injury and the Utah Jazz beat the Dallas Mavericks 117-102 on Wednesday night to end a four-game skid.
Mitchell also had seven assists and five rebounds, and Rudy Gobert had 17 points, 10 rebounds and four blocked shots. Alec Burks added 18 points off the bench.
Utah earned its first home win of the season after opening with four straight home losses for the first time since 1974-75.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 24 points. Harrison Barnes added 14 points, and DeAndre Jordan chipped in 11 points and 12 rebounds.
Dallas lost for the seventh time in eight games. The Mavericks committed 25 turnovers leading to 31 points.
Everything the Jazz need to be successful fell into place in the first half. Utah played tenacious defense, had strong ball movement and utilized smart shot selection. The end result is the Jazz pulled away from the Mavericks in quick and easy fashion.
Utah seized control in the first quarter. The Jazz scored baskets on four straight possessions — starting with a dunk from Derrick Favors and ending in a 3-point play from Gobert — to take an 18-8 lead.
Dallas closed within five points, making it 21-16 after J.J. Barea hit a pair of free throws. That's as close as the Mavericks would get. Utah strung together a 24-5 run over a seven-minute stretch spanning the first and second quarter.
Mitchell rotated in with the second unit at the end of the first quarter and helped fuel much of the run. He assisted on three baskets in that stretch and scored another. Back-to-back baskets from Gobert and Burks punctuated the run and gave Utah a 45-21 lead with 7:18 left in the first half.
Jalen Brunson made three straight baskets in the fourth to help Dallas shave Utah's lead to 101-92. The Jazz ended the rally behind back-to-back baskets from Mitchell and Favors that made it 114-98 with 1:40 left.
TIP INS
Mavericks: Jordan collected at least 10 rebounds for a franchise record 11th straight game. ... Dallas outscored Utah 18-6 in second chance points. ... The Mavericks shot 36 of 40 from the free-throw line. Doncic and Brunson each went 7 of 7 on free throws. Jordan was 7 of 8.
Jazz: Ricky Rubio had nine assists in the first half — three more than Dallas totaled as a team before halftime. Rubio finished with 12 assists. ... The Jazz committed a single turnover in the first quarter while forcing seven. They outscored the Mavericks 13-0 in points off turnovers during the quarter. ... Utah outscored Dallas 48-30 in the paint.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: Host the Thunder on Saturday.
Jazz: Host the Celtics on Friday.
