DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks have waited for this moment all year. After a stellar regular season which saw them win 52 games and finish fourth in the NBA’s Western Conference, Dallas was pitted against the No. 5 seeded Utah Jazz in the opening round of the playoffs.
Win No. 52 in the regular season finale came at a high cost, however, as star point guard Luka Doncic was sidelined with a strained calf that put the series against Utah in question. Though the Jazz took Game 1 in Dallas, the Mavs bounced back in Game 2 and then won Game 3 for their first victory in Utah since April 2016 to reclaim the home court advantage in the series.
Thanks to a breakout postseason from Jalen Brunson, the Mavericks weathered Doncic’s absence but they now have their All-Star guard back in the mix for Game 4. Prior to tip off, word came out that Doncic would be available in Saturday’s clash, albeit with his minutes being closely monitored.
Doncic shook off the rust in his 16 minutes in the first half as he led Dallas with 14 points to go along with four rebounds and one assist. Doncic shot 6-for-11 from the floor, including 2-for-4 from beyond the arc. The Mavs’ MVP candidate was the only Mavs player in the positive at plus one during his time on the floor which could impact how the team regulates his minutes going forward.
PHOTOS: Dallas Mavericks faceoff against Utah Jazz in Game 4
Dallas trailed 24-23 after the first quarter where forward Maxi Kleber connected for his 15th 3-pointer during these playoffs, a total that leads the NBA this postseason.
Brunson, the early star of this series, is playing with a bruised back that he suffered in a physical Game 3 win which saw the fourth-year guard score a team-high 31 points for Dallas. Brunson is averaging 32.0 PPG, 5.3 RPG, and 5.0 APG in this series and, at the half, he has contributed 12 points in Game 4 as the offense is facilitated through Doncic once again.
Even with Doncic back in the fold, the Jazz showed that they don’t plan to go down quietly as they built a lead that reached as many as 16 points late in the secord quarter as they outscored the Mavericks 30-19 in the second frame. The Jazz eventually took a 54-42 lead into halftime.
Dallas is aiming to take a 3-1 lead in this series and getting Doncic back is critical to their ultimate goal of prevailing over Utah. A victory in Game 4 would allow Dallas the opportunity to close out the Jazz at American Airlines Center in Dallas in Game 5 on Monday night.
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