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Luka Doncic leads Dallas Mavericks past Utah Jazz

Apr 5, 2021; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) shoots as Utah Jazz center Rudy Gobert (27) defends during the first half against the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Luka Doncic tallied 31 points, nine rebounds and eight assists to lead the host Dallas Mavericks to a 111-103 victory over the Utah Jazz on Monday night.

Doncic shot 6 of 11 from 3-point range to help the Mavericks pull away for their fifth straight victory. Dorian Finney-Smith added 23 points and Jalen Brunson chipped in 20 off the bench. Josh Richardson added 17 — while making all five of his shots from 3-point range — and Tim Hardway, Jr. scored 16 points.

Dallas was buoyed from a combined 23 made 3-pointers from its top five scorers. It was the most made 3-pointers Utah allowed in a single game in franchise history.

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Mike Conley scored 28 points and went 6 of 10 from 3-point range to lead Utah. Donovan Mitchell, Jordan Clarkson, and Bojan Bogdanovic scored 16 apiece, although Mitchell missed 17 of 23 shots from the field. Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 15 rebounds.

The Jazz saw their nine-game winning streak come to an end.

Dallas scored on six straight possessions, capped by back-to-back baskets from Finney-Smith, to take a 27-20 lead late in the first quarter. Conley scored three baskets over a two-minute stretch to make it a one-possession game again heading into the second quarter.

Utah had a difficult time erasing the deficit because it could not hit shots from the perimeter. The Jazz shot just 4 of 23 (17.4 percent) from long distance before halftime.

Dallas took advantage of those shooting struggles. Richardson scored three baskets — including a pair of 3-pointers — to fuel a 13-6 run late in the second quarter. Doncic capped the run with a three-point play, giving Dallas a 48-38 lead.

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Utah’s shooting struggles extended into the third quarter, allowing the Mavericks to build on their lead.

The Jazz cut the deficit to 63-58 on a pair of baskets from Bogdanovic. Dallas answered with a 16-5 run to extend its lead to 79-63 late in the third quarter. Hardaway Jr. made three baskets to fuel the run and capped it with a 3-point play.

–Field Level Media

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