By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Down 22 in the third quarter, the Dallas Mavericks turned the tables on the Utah Jazz for the win, 122-114, on Monday in Orlando.
Both Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis were rested, but fellow European Boban Marjanovic popped up driving himself to 20 points to go along with nine rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and one steal in 25 minutes.
Maxi Kleber went for 11 points, three rebounds, three assists, and one block in 24 minutes. Tim Hardaway Jr. scored a game-high 27 points, Seth Curry added 22, and J.J. Barea punched in 18 more.
Both teams looked deep into their bench during the second half that resulted in the Mavs moving up to 43-30 overall tally, 3-3 in the bubble since 2019-20 action resumed.
The Jazz held out Donovan Mitchell and did not bring Rudy Gobert back for the second half on their way down to 43-28 overall and 2-5 in the bubble. The French center tallied nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and one block through 16 minutes.
The Mavericks have clinched their postseason berth but will face a couple of playoff-hunting teams, the Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday and the Phoenix Suns on Thursday. Also set for the playoffs, the Jazz will conclude their seeding games on Thursday versus the San Antonio Spurs.
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