Dallas Mavericks: What to watch for against the Utah Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks take on the Utah Jazz tonight in the second night of a back-to-back. What should Mavs fans keep an eye out for against the defensive-minded Jazz?

Ready for their second meeting with the Salt Lake based NBA franchise, the Dallas Mavericks are hoping for a better outcome against Donovan Mitchell and the Utah Jazz. Last time the two teams met, Dallas put up a good fight but ultimately fell 113-104 thanks to a combined 43 from Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert.

The Mavs held their own throughout most of the game, thanks to a solid outing from Dennis Smith Jr. and some help from Wesley Matthews. The two of them combined for 49. The first matchup between these two teams was possibly Luka Doncic‘s worst game since the season opener and he will look to correct some of those mistakes the 2nd time through.

Both Luka and DSJ are coming off of a couple solid games and will look to keep that momentum going against the Jazz. In fact, all the Mavs are hoping that this game will look something like last night’s matchup against the Washington Wizards, aside from the third quarter. The Mavs outplayed a team that is having a rough year but has plenty of talented guys on the roster.

Donovan Mitchell hasn’t been nearly the spectacle that he was last year so far this season, but he is still playing well and has increased his points, assists, and steals per game so far this year. He is coming off of an ankle sprain that had him miss their last game and a hamstring strain that caused a DNP against the Grizzlies last week. The youngster may be hampered a little, but is expecting to play tonight.

The Mavs are coming off their third win of the season, breaking a six-game losing streak after starting the season 2-1. The Jazz, on the other hand, have found themselves amidst a four-game skid after starting the season 4-2. It has certainly not been an easy stretch of games, but the Jazz are hoping to fix some things in time to take down the Mavs tonight.

Both teams could really use a win right now. Each team has shown flashes of brilliance but instances of frustration as well and tonight, the opponent will look to capitalize on those mistakes. It should be a fun game to watch.

The Mavs and Jazz are scheduled to tip-off at 8:00 central time tonight at Vivint Smart Home Arena in Salt Lake City, Utah. The Mavs will still be without Devin Harris and Dirk Nowitzki, but no other injuries have been reported for either team.