NBA: Mavericks set franchise dunk mark in win over Jazz

Luka Doncic scored 34 points and Daniel Gafford added 24 in the Dallas Mavericks’ 113-97 rout over the visiting Utah Jazz on Thursday night.

Gafford hit 10 of 11 field goals, all dunks, and Doncic added nine rebounds, eight assists and four steals as the Mavericks (41-29) won their third consecutive game. Kyrie Irving contributed 16 points and seven assists.

Dallas ended with a franchise-record 18 dunks and set an NBA season-high for dunks by a team, edging the Lakers, who dunked 17 times against the Jazz in November.

Lauri Markkanen returned to the lineup to lead the Jazz (29-41) in scoring with 21 points despite an off-night shooting. He finished 6-of-20 overall and 1-for-9 from 3-point range. Utah made only 4 of 30 from beyond the arc.

Collin Sexton scored 20 points off the bench for Utah, which has lost four straight. Keyonte George added 18 points, while Walker Kessler totaled 14 points and nine rebounds.

With the Mavericks leading 63-48 in the third quarter, Doncic dove for a loose ball and flipped it backward to Irving while sitting on the court. Irving drove to the basket, drawing the only Jazz defender, and lofted it perfectly to Derrick Jones Jr. for a dunk with 7:33 left in the frame.

Utah pulled within 10 early in the fourth quarter, but the Mavs stormed back to take a game-high 19-point lead.

Kessler scored the first two baskets of the game as the Jazz went up 8-1.

Their lead didn’t last long. Dallas fired back with nine straight points, capped by a

Doncic 3, for its first lead at 10-8.

The Jazz had a one-point lead by the end of the quarter thanks to Jaden Hardy’s 3-pointer with two seconds left.

Gafford threw down a dunk to ignite a 9-0 run at the start of the second quarter. Dallas held Utah to 15 points in the quarter and took a 53-42 halftime lead.

–Field Level Media/Reuters