3 fire takeaways from Mavericks preseason dress rehearsal win over Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 115-101 in the final preseason game behind another strong performance from superstar Luka Doncic. Head coach Jason Kidd made it clear that Friday was the team’s dress rehearsal, and they played their expected rotation for the first three and half quarters.

Kidd made it clear pregame that Jaden Hardy was outside the team’s regular rotation, but the 20-year-old rookie got a chance to play to close the game. Hardy has been impressive during training camp, but he needs a bit more seasoning before joining the team’s regular lineup.

It was a back-and-forth game before the Mavericks had an impressive run at the start of the fourth quarter and never looked back. What did fans learn from the team’s dress rehearsal? Here are the top three takeaways.

Takeaway from Dallas Mavericks preseason dress rehearsal vs Jazz: 3. Rotation preview

The Mavs started their opening night five, and Kidd used his expected rotation for most of the night. It was Spencer Dinwiddie and JaVale McGee joining Luka Doncic, Reggie Bullock, and Dorian Finney-Smith to open the game.

Fans got a preview of how coach Kidd plans to run his rotation. Dinwiddie and McGee both exited around the six-minute mark of the opening quarter with Tim Hardaway Jr. and Christian Wood coming onto the floor. Dinwiddie returned to start the second quarter when Doncic rested. The plan is to stagger their minutes to improve the team’s ball-handling and playmaking.

Kidd used a ten-player rotation against the Jazz with Maxi Kleber, Josh Green, and Frank Ntilikina rounding things out for Dallas. Expect that to be the opening night rotation against the Suns. Doncic will lead the team in minutes this season with Dorian Finney-Smith just behind.

The Mavs closed strong to defeat the Utah Jazz without Luka Doncic on the court, but their superstar looks more than ready for the regular season.