Game ID: 22500531
Dallas Mavericks @ Utah Jazz
Thursday, January 8, 2026 at 9:00 PM ET
Delta Center, Salt Lake City, UT
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
UTA 34 24 30 28 116DAL 29 26 34 25 114
DAL @ UTA ScoutingDAL @ UTA Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
UTA availability going into 1/01 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 27 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Bailey missed 2 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 18 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 7 since 12/18, returns tonight: 32 min (158% of 20)
OUT Love missed 2 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 32 since 10/22, returns tonight: 15 min (89% of 17)
BACK Markkanen back 12/22 after 2, 37 min since (107% of 34)
NEW Nurkić 26 to 32 min over the last 4
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 29 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 28 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Bailey missed 3 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 19 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Love missed 3 since 12/27, returns tonight: 24 min (146% of 17)
BACK Anderson back 1/01 after 7, 32 min since (158% of 20)
BACK Tshiebwe back 1/01 after 32, 15 min since (89% of 17)
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 30 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 1/05 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 29 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Bailey missed 4 since 12/27, out tonight
OUT Nurkić missed 2 since 1/01, returns tonight: 31 min (117% of 26)
OUT Harkless missed 20 since 11/21, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 1/01 after 7, 32 min since (158% of 20)
BACK Love back 1/03 after 3, 24 min since (146% of 17)
BACK Tshiebwe back 1/01 after 32, 15 min since (89% of 17)
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 33 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 1/07 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 30 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Bailey missed 5 since 12/27, returns tonight: 10 min (37% of 28)
OUT Harkless missed 21 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Nurkić back 1/05 after 2, 31 min since (117% of 26)
BACK Love back 1/03 after 3, 24 min since (146% of 17)
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 31 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 1/08 · back-to-backOUT Kessler missed 31 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 22 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Anderson missed 3 since 1/03, returns tonight: 26 min (130% of 20)
OUT Love missed 2 since 1/05, returns tonight: 24 min (144% of 17)
OUT Tshiebwe missed 3 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Bailey back 1/07 after 5, 10 min since (37% of 28)
BACK Nurkić back 1/05 after 2, 32 min since (120% of 26)
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 31 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 32 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 23 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 4 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Bailey back 1/07 after 5, 10 min since (37% of 28)
BACK Nurkić back 1/05 after 2, 32 min since (120% of 26)
BACK Anderson back 1/01 after 7, 29 min since (144% of 20)
BACK Love back 1/03 after 3, 24 min since (145% of 17)
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 29 min over the last 5
UTA availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 33 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Bailey missed 2 since 1/08, returns tonight: 15 min (55% of 28)
OUT Nurkić missed 2 since 1/08, returns tonight: 30 min (114% of 26)
OUT Mykhailiuk missed 2 since 1/08, returns tonight: 26 min (113% of 23)
OUT Harkless missed 24 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 5 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 1/08 after 3, 24 min since (118% of 20)
BACK Love back 1/03 after 3, 21 min since (128% of 17)
UTA availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Kessler missed 34 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 25 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 6 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Bailey back 1/07 after 5, 13 min since (46% of 28)
BACK Nurkić back 1/05 after 2, 31 min since (118% of 26)
BACK Mykhailiuk back 1/12 after 2, 26 min since (113% of 23)
BACK Anderson back 1/08 after 3, 24 min since (118% of 20)
BACK Love back 1/08 after 2, 19 min since (114% of 17)
UTA availability going into 1/15 · back-to-backOUT Kessler missed 35 since 11/02, out tonight
OUT Harkless missed 26 since 11/21, out tonight
OUT Tshiebwe missed 7 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Bailey back 1/07 after 5, 19 min since (68% of 28)
BACK Nurkić back 1/12 after 2, 30 min since (114% of 26)
BACK Mykhailiuk back 1/12 after 2, 26 min since (113% of 23)
BACK Anderson back 1/08 after 3, 22 min since (107% of 20)
BACK Love back 1/08 after 2, 19 min since (114% of 17)
NEW Markkanen 34 to 40 min over the last 3
NEW Sensabaugh 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Clayton Jr. 18 to 25 min over the last 4
DAL availability going into 12/29 · 1 day's restBACK Christie back 12/25 after 2, 32 min since (109% of 29)
BACK Martin back 12/22 after 4, 14 min since (96% of 15)
BACK Powell back 12/27 after 5, 19 min since (134% of 14)
BACK Cisse back 12/27 after 5, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 12/22 after 2, 15 min since (122% of 13)
DAL availability going into 1/01 · 2 days' restOUT Davis missed 2 since 12/27, returns tonight: 37 min (118% of 31)
BACK Christie back 12/25 after 2, 31 min since (105% of 29)
BACK Martin back 12/22 after 4, 13 min since (86% of 15)
BACK Powell back 12/27 after 5, 18 min since (129% of 14)
BACK Cisse back 12/27 after 5, 6 min since (42% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 12/22 after 2, 15 min since (122% of 13)
DAL availability going into 1/03 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Cisse missed 2 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Davis back 1/01 after 2, 37 min since (118% of 31)
BACK Christie back 12/25 after 2, 30 min since (104% of 29)
BACK Powell back 12/27 after 5, 18 min since (129% of 14)
DAL availability going into 1/06 · 2 days' restOUT Russell missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Powell missed 2 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Cisse missed 3 since 12/29, out tonight
BACK Davis back 1/01 after 2, 38 min since (121% of 31)
BACK Christie back 12/25 after 2, 31 min since (107% of 29)
DAL availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Russell missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Powell missed 3 since 1/01, out tonight
OUT Cisse missed 4 since 12/29, out tonight
OUT Hardy missed 2 since 1/03, out tonight
BACK Davis back 1/01 after 2, 37 min since (119% of 31)
DAL availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Washington missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Russell missed 5 since 12/29, returns tonight: 19 min (101% of 19)
OUT Powell missed 4 since 1/01, returns tonight: 1 min (7% of 14)
OUT Cisse missed 5 since 12/29, returns tonight: 19 min (140% of 14)
OUT Hardy missed 3 since 1/03, returns tonight: 13 min (101% of 13)
BACK Davis back 1/01 after 2, 37 min since (117% of 31)
DAL availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Washington missed 3 since 1/06, out tonight
BACK Davis back 1/01 after 2, 37 min since (117% of 31)
BACK Russell back 1/10 after 5, 19 min since (101% of 19)
BACK Powell back 1/10 after 4, 1 min since (7% of 14)
BACK Cisse back 1/10 after 5, 19 min since (140% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/10 after 3, 13 min since (101% of 13)
DAL availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Washington missed 4 since 1/06, returns tonight: 31 min (100% of 31)
OUT Williams missed 2 since 1/10, returns tonight: 25 min (114% of 22)
BACK Russell back 1/10 after 5, 19 min since (101% of 19)
BACK Powell back 1/10 after 4, 18 min since (128% of 14)
BACK Cisse back 1/10 after 5, 16 min since (112% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/10 after 3, 17 min since (137% of 13)
NEW Davis 31 to 37 min over the last 3
DAL availability going into 1/15 · back-to-backOUT Russell missed 2 since 1/12, out tonight
BACK Washington back 1/14 after 4, 31 min since (100% of 31)
BACK Williams back 1/14 after 2, 25 min since (114% of 22)
BACK Powell back 1/10 after 4, 18 min since (127% of 14)
BACK Cisse back 1/10 after 5, 16 min since (112% of 14)
BACK Hardy back 1/10 after 3, 21 min since (166% of 13)
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 127, shooting 48 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Markkanen at 27 and George at 25 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Kessler (31 straight), Harkless (22 straight), Anderson (3 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 21 free throws a game; Davis at 19 and Christie at 17 a game. Without Russell (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Dallas wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 113 a night to Utah's 127. Call it Dallas 118, Utah 117, Utah keeping it close.
1/01 @ LAC 101-118 — UTA notes
UTA lost 101-118. UTA shot 46% (36 of 78) to LAC's 45%, 6 of 27 from three. UTA turned it over 18 times to LAC's 12, and LAC turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 35-47 against them. Anderson led with 22 (8 of 10, 6 of 7 at the line); Sensabaugh added 20, Williams 18. Q2 was theirs, 33-22, the deficit cut from 14 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 96-68 against them. Filipowski's -18 in 28 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 @ GSW 114-123 — UTA notes
UTA lost 114-123. UTA shot 52% (45 of 86) to GSW's 49%, 13 of 35 from three, and got to the line 17 times to GSW's 24. Markkanen led with 35 (15 of 27, 2 of 8 from three); George added 22, Sensabaugh 12. Q1 was theirs, 29-25, but the other 3 periods went 98-85 against them. They led by as many as 12.
1/05 @ POR 117-137 — UTA notes
UTA lost 117-137. UTA shot 49% (45 of 92) to POR's 53%, 13 of 31 from three. Markkanen led with 22 (8 of 17, 3 of 5 from three); Nurkić added 21, George 15. Q4 was theirs, 34-23, the deficit cut from 31 to 20, but the other 3 periods went 114-83 against them. George's -26 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/07 @ OKC 125-129 — UTA notes
UTA lost 125-129 in 1 overtime. UTA took 10 more shots (111 to 101), fed by 19 offensive rebounds, but shot 44% to OKC's 44%, 11 of 41 from three, and got to the line 21 times to OKC's 42. UTA turned it over 20 times to OKC's 11, and OKC turned those into 14 steals. The glass went 65-51 for them. Markkanen led with 29 (11 of 19, 3 of 7 from three); George added 25, Nurkić 15. Q4 was theirs, 28-23, the deficit cut from 5 to 0, but the other 4 periods went 106-97 against them. Collier's -13 in 18 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/08 vs DAL 116-114 — UTA notes
UTA won 116-114. UTA shot 49% (47 of 95) to DAL's 52%, 13 of 41 from three. UTA turned it over 9 times to DAL's 20. Markkanen led with 33 (14 of 26, 2 of 8 from three, 3 of 6 at the line); George added 19, Sensabaugh 14. The hinge was Q1, 34-29: from level to 5 ahead. Love was the night's best plus/minus at +13.
1/10 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 124, shooting 48 percent and 32 from three, 20 free throws a game; Markkanen at 30 and George at 20 a game. Without Kessler (32 straight), Harkless (23 straight), Tshiebwe (4 straight). One day's rest. Charlotte comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 46 percent and 41 from three, 24 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Knueppel at 19 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Kalkbrenner (10 straight), Williams (31 straight). One day's rest.
So: Charlotte wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, Charlotte allowing 106 a night to Utah's 124 and the glass, where Charlotte has been plus-7 a night and Utah minus-3. Call it Charlotte 118, Utah 116, Utah keeping it close.
1/12 @ CLE — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 53 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (2 straight), Ball (3 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 131, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Markkanen at 30 and George at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kessler (33 straight), Bailey (2 straight), Nurkić (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Utah minus-7 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Utah's 32. Call it Cleveland 126, Utah 117.
1/14 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 33 from three, 14 free throws a game; Buzelis at 19 and Vučević at 18 a game. Without Giddey (7 straight), Collins (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 115 a night and allowing 128, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 20 free throws a game; Markkanen at 28 and George at 19 a game. Without Kessler (34 straight), Harkless (25 straight), Tshiebwe (6 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the defense, Chicago allowing 112 a night to Utah's 128 and the line, where Utah takes 20 free throws a game to Chicago's 14. Call it Chicago 120, Utah 117, Utah keeping it close.
1/15 @ DAL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Marshall at 18 and Flagg at 18 a game. Without Russell (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Markkanen at 30 and George at 21 a game. Without Kessler (35 straight), Harkless (26 straight), Tshiebwe (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 112 a night to Utah's 127 and the glass, where Dallas has been plus-2 a night and Utah minus-2. Call it Dallas 120, Utah 115.
12/29 @ POR 122-125 — DAL notes
DAL lost 122-125. DAL shot 51% (46 of 91) to POR's 47%, 11 of 32 from three. Christie led with 25 (8 of 12, 5 of 7 from three); Williams added 22, Marshall 17. Q3 was theirs, 30-22, the deficit cut from 12 to 4, but the other 3 periods went 103-92 against them. Christie's -12 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/01 vs PHI 108-123 — DAL notes
DAL lost 108-123. DAL shot 45% (42 of 94) to PHI's 53%, 6 of 28 from three. Christie led with 18 (7 of 13, 2 of 7 from three); Williams added 14, Davis 13. Q1 was theirs, 33-27, but the other 3 periods went 96-75 against them. Washington's -22 in 34 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/03 vs HOU 110-104 — DAL notes
DAL won 110-104. DAL shot 55% (44 of 80) to HOU's 39%, 8 of 21 from three. DAL turned it over 15 times to HOU's 9, and HOU turned those into 13 steals. Davis led with 26 (9 of 15, 8 of 9 at the line); Christie added 24, Williams 15. The hinge was Q2, 32-19: DAL came in trailing by 6 and left it ahead by 7, and the lead reached 17.
1/06 @ SAC 100-98 — DAL notes
DAL won 100-98. DAL shot 41% (39 of 96) to SAC's 42%, 8 of 27 from three. The glass went 55-43 for them. Flagg led with 20 (8 of 15, 2 of 5 from three); Davis added 19, Williams 18. The hinge was Q3, 30-20: the deficit went from 12 to 2. DAL trailed 46-58 at the half and won the second half 54-40. Flagg was the night's best plus/minus at +11.
1/08 @ UTA 114-116 — DAL notes
DAL lost 114-116. DAL shot 52% (44 of 85) to UTA's 49%, 15 of 36 from three. DAL turned it over 20 times to UTA's 9, and UTA turned those into 11 steals. Flagg led with 26 (10 of 18, 3 of 6 from three); Thompson added 23, Davis 21. Q3 was theirs, 34-30, turning a 3-point deficit into a 1-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 86-80 against them.
1/10 @ CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Chicago comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 17 free throws a game; Buzelis at 21 and Vučević at 19 a game. That is 3 straight losses. Without Giddey (5 straight), Smith (2 straight), Collins (6 straight). 2 days' rest. Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Christie at 19 a game. Without Washington (2 straight), Russell (5 straight). One day's rest.
So: Chicago wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Dallas giving it away 15 times a game to Chicago's 12. Call it Chicago 115, Dallas 114, Dallas keeping it close.
1/12 vs BKN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 113, shooting 47 percent and 34 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 20 and Christie at 16 a game. Without Washington (3 straight). One day's rest. Brooklyn comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 106 a night and allowing 112, shooting 42 percent and 34 from three, 23 free throws a game; Porter Jr. at 26 and Clowney at 14 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Williams (2 straight), Saraf (13 straight), Etienne (14 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Dallas has been minus-0 a night and Brooklyn minus-5. Call it Dallas 114, Brooklyn 109.
1/14 vs DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 110, shooting 48 percent and 39 from three, 19 free throws a game; Davis at 22 and Flagg at 19 a game. Without Washington (4 straight), Williams (2 straight). One day's rest. Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 111 a night and allowing 113, shooting 46 percent and 42 from three, 27 free throws a game; Watson at 26 and Hardaway Jr. at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Jokić (8 straight), Braun (2 straight), Johnson (11 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the line, where Denver takes 27 free throws a game to Dallas's 19 and the glass, where Dallas has been minus-1 a night and Denver minus-6. Call it Dallas 115, Denver 112, Denver keeping it close.
1/15 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Dallas comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 112, shooting 46 percent and 34 from three, 22 free throws a game; Marshall at 18 and Flagg at 18 a game. Without Russell (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Utah comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 127, shooting 47 percent and 31 from three, 22 free throws a game; Markkanen at 30 and George at 21 a game. Without Kessler (35 straight), Harkless (26 straight), Tshiebwe (7 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Dallas wins, and the game turns on the defense, Dallas allowing 112 a night to Utah's 127 and the glass, where Dallas has been plus-2 a night and Utah minus-2. Call it Dallas 120, Utah 115.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
DALAD A. Davis
BW B. Williams
CF C. Flagg
CM C. Martin
DG D. Gafford
KT K. Thompson
MC M. Christie
NM N. Marshall
RN R. Nembhard
UTABS B. Sensabaugh
CW C. Williams
IC I. Collier
KA K. Anderson
KF K. Filipowski
KG K. George
KL K. Love
LM L. Markkanen
TH T. Hendricks
WC W. Clayton Jr.
DAL/UTA the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Lauri Markkanen scores 33, rallies the Jazz to a 116-114 win over the Mavericks
SALT LAKE CITY -- — Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and seven rebounds and the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 116-114 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
Keyonte George added 19 points and seven assists. Brice Sensabaugh scored 14 points and Kevin Love chipped in 10 points and 10 boards.
Cooper Flagg had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists to lead Dallas. Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points off the bench. Anthony Davis added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavs.
Utah scored 25 points off 21 Dallas turnovers and outscored the Mavericks 64-46 in the paint.
Dallas scored baskets on four straight possessions, culminating in Max Christie’s 3-pointer, to take a 107-100 lead with 4:39 left. Utah then held the Mavericks without a basket for nearly four minutes and surged into the lead.
Markkanen scored three straight baskets to fuel a 12-0 run that gave the Jazz a 112-107 lead with 1:41 left. Utah scored on seven of its final nine possessions to secure the victory.
Utah’s willingness to attack the rim early paid off. The Jazz scored 24 of their 34 first-quarter points in the paint. It sparked a 22-6 run that helped Utah to a 27-17 lead. Cody Williams fueled the run with three dunks over four possessions.
The Jazz led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, going up 53-39 after Markkanen capped a 15-5 run with a dunk.
Dallas chipped away at the deficit and took a 61-60 lead after Naji Marshall and Christie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third quarter.