The excitement that came with the arrival of Harrison Barnes and Andrew Bogut, two key players from the dominant Golden State Warriors, seems to be wearing off as the Dallas Mavericks have struggled mightily since the start of the regular season. Things can turn around really fast in the NBA, especially with a superstar like Dirk Nowitzki returning from an illness, but the start of that turnaround did not take place on Wednesday. The Utah Jazz defeated the Mavericks by a score of 97-81, as reported by ESPN .
Rodney Hood was ?? tonight – pouring in 22 points to go with 7 rebounds and 3 assists. https://t.co/jZQV6CMLR2
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) November 3, 2016
Dallas Mavericks starters
Dirk Nowitzki missed a pair of games because of an undisclosed illness. The 7-foot forward might still be feeling the effects of it. Nowitzki missed ten of his 14 shots, including all five from the outside. The German sensation also only went to the free throw line once. The Mavericks are going to need more than nine points and five rebounds from their star player, especially if they want to get out of their early season slump.
The backcourt tandem of Deron Williams and Wesley Matthews had a solid night for Dallas. They combined for 24 points while spreading the floor by hitting five of their ten shots from the outside. Williams and Matthews also protected the ball pretty well, each having just one turnover in the game. Williams, who is still a hated man in the eyes of basketball fans in Utah, also chipped in with nine assists.
Andrew Bogut has been especially dominant when it comes to rebounds. He managed to pull down nine of them despite playing just 17 minutes.
Harrison Barnes is in the spotlight. Expectations were high when he left the Golden State Warriors because people would now see what he could do with a bigger role. While he did lead the Dallas Mavericks in scoring, it was just 14 points.
Dallas Mavericks bench
Dwight Powell played efficiently off the bench for the Mavericks. The 6-foot-11 forward scored 11 points by making five of his eight shot attempts. Powell needs to provide a little bit more in terms of rebounds and blocks, though.
Though his shooting could have been better, JJ Barea had a solid game off the bench. The speedy guard had nine points, five rebounds, four assists, and a steal. Justin Anderson was solid as well. The 22-year-old guard had five points, eight rebounds, and a steal.
Utah Jazz starters
George Hill and Rodney Hood are quietly becoming one of the better backcourt tandems in the NBA. They came through big time against the Dallas Mavericks. Hill and Hood combined for 47 points, 13 rebounds, and seven assists. They also combined to six of their ten shots from the outside, which cleared the paint for the Jazz big men.
Rudy Gobert continues to be a defensive force. The 7-foot-1 center pulled down 12 rebounds, stole the ball twice and blocked three shots. Gobert also wisely knows to not force things on offense because Utah has guys to take care of things on offense.
Derrick Favors has been playing just 15 minutes a game as he adjusts to returning from his injury. Utah Jazz head coach Quin Snyder decided to test him out a bit by upping his playing time to 23 minutes. Favors did not do anything overly impressive, but his body did hold up.
Veteran forward Joe Johnson had a solid game with 13 points, five rebounds, and four assists.
Utah Jazz bench
Fortunately for the Jazz, they did not need a lot of help from their bench. They received very little support. Shelvin Mack, Joe Ingles, and Trey Lyles only made two of the 16 combined shots that they took. If there are more nights like that, then Quin Snyder will quickly make some changes to his bench rotation.
Dante Exum provided a little spark with ten points, hitting both of his outside shots attempted.
[Featured Image by Ronald Cortes/Getty Images]
