RECAP
|
BOX SCORE
|
 GAME FLOW
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) -- Steve Nash looked like a young John
Stockton. Shawn Bradley actually played like a 7-foot-6 center. And
Michael Finley was nothing short of spectacular.
|  | | Mavs forward Dirk Nowitzki clutches his injured left shoulder after it was swatted by Utah's Karl Malone. No foul was called. |
Finley scored 29 points, Nash had 17 points and a career-high 17
assists and Bradley had six blocked shots to go with 11 points as
the Dallas Mavericks beat the Utah Jazz 107-98 Monday night.
"That's one of those nights where everything is going for
you," Nash said. "That's the way it has to be to win in a
building like this."
Dirk Nowitzki added 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Mavericks,
his third straight double-double. Dallas won this one with defense,
too, holding the Jazz to 40 percent shooting.
"Offensively, things have been going well but tonight we picked
up the defense and it ultimately got us the win," Finley said.
"We knew if we played hard and aggressive against Utah, we'd be
able to win."
At 8-4, Dallas has its best start through 12 games since going
9-3 in 1988-89.
Former Jazz guard Howard Eisley, who signed as a free agent with
Dallas last summer, made two free throws with 50.5 seconds
remaining and Nash added two more with 32.8 seconds left to
preserve the victory.
The Mavericks had to come from behind in the fourth quarter to
win their last two games, at Seattle and Vancouver, but this time
they maintained a double-digit lead for much of the second half.
Bryon Russell led the Jazz with 17 points and Jacque Vaughn came
off the bench for 15 points. Stockton scored 14 and Karl Malone was
held to 13 points, the third time in the past four games he has
scored 15 or less.
"We had some looks, so it's not all about them," Malone said.
"We had our opportunities. We just didn't make our shots."
Last March, Dallas broke a 25-game losing streak at the Delta
Center. They returned this season looking like they own the
building.
"Not many teams win here twice in a row and we're happy to do
it. It's huge," said Bradley, who stands 7-6 but is a frequent
target of criticism for his soft defense over an eight-year NBA
career.
With Nash darting around as he directed the offense, Dallas
built a 56-48 halftime lead and never let it slip below seven in
the second half. His play was reminiscent of Stockton, the NBA's
career leader in assists and steals.
"Nash is very good," Stockton said. "He had a great game. He
was very good out there, drawing people to him. When you don't do
things right defensively, I guess you overreact to certain things.
You're out of position to help yourself."
Nowitzki left late in the third quarter after aggravating a
strained left shoulder, which he initially injured two weeks ago in
practice. He returned with 6:05 to play but hurt it again with 3:47
remaining.
"He may have a bit of a separation there, but I'm not really
sure," said Dallas coach Don Nelson. "He couldn't re-injure it
anymore. We'll get a report tomorrow and see."
Russell made a 3-pointer with 5:53 to play, cutting the deficit
to 93-84 but Hubert Davis matched it at the other end and, after a
5-0 run by the Jazz, Bradley made two free throws and Finley got
open underneath to pad the lead again.
Eisley was booed during introductions and almost every time he
touched the ball in the first half. But Jazz fans soon turned their
attention to trying to rally their team.
The Mavericks led by as much as 77-61 near the five-minute mark
of the third quarter, and each time the Jazz made a run they had an
answer. Usually, it was Finley who hit a mid-range jumper or
Nowitzki for a 3-pointer.
"We knew the Jazz would make a run," Finley said. "For every
big shot they made, we made one, too. To beat a team like Utah,
that's what you've got to do."
Game notes
Utah rookie DeShawn Stevenson, drafted out of high school,
made his second straight start. He scored seven points in place of
John Starks, who went home to Oklahoma to be will his seriously ill mother. ... Bradley had three blocked shots in the second quarter. ...
Malone got a first-quarter technical for swinging an elbow at
Christian Laettner.
|
|
NBA Scoreboard
Dallas Clubhouse
Utah Clubhouse
Mavs owner fined $15,000 for latest verbal shots at officials
RECAPS
Philadelphia 114
Boston 90
Charlotte 100
Toronto 64
Dallas 107
Utah 98
Denver 95
Vancouver 92
New Jersey 86
LA Clippers 85
|
