On some nights during an 82-game regular season, the old adage of basketball being a game of runs can prove to be very prescient. 

In their first NBA Cup Group Stage game, the Utah Jazz were able to knock down shots at a high clip (15-of-39 from beyond the arc), but an inability to take care of the ball (21 turnovers) or keep the Dallas Mavericks off the glass (21 offensive rebounds) resulted in a 112-100 loss. After a back-and-forth affair during the first half, Dallas used a 32-19 edge in the third quarter to pull away. 

Lauri Markkanen led Utah with 24 points, Darryn Peterson wasn’t far behind with 21 and five assists, and Keyonte George nearly had a double-double (16 points, nine assists), but Dallas generated 11 more shot attempts and constantly got to the free-throw line (25-of-31).

“It’s another representation of a bunch of good basketball and then some stretches where we’re just really sloppy,” Jazz head coach Will Hardy said. “In the first half, we really moved the ball and had a great flow to us. But in the second half, we didn’t have the same tempo.”

In a change from recent games, shots were falling in the early going for the Jazz. Utah knocked down six 3-pointers (on 13 attempts), with the ball consistently finding the open man. The visitors dished out 10 assists (on 11 made field goals) to fuel the productive start on the offensive end. Markkanen led the charge with 12 points and four made threes in the opening frame. The main drawback for Utah on that end of the floor was a lack of ball security, as six turnovers gave Dallas extra possessions. The Mavericks only shot 37 percent from the field, but were down just two points at the end of the quarter as a result of seven offensive rebounds. 

The Jazz extended their lead to eight early in the second quarter following a 12-6 run, but Dallas continued to hang around as a result of the offensive glass and timely shot-making. Despite shooting over 58 percent from the field during most of the frame, the Jazz found themselves tied at 45 as the halftime break neared. The Mavericks grabbed five more offensive rebounds during the second quarter and capitalized on five additional Jazz turnovers. Keyonte George knocked down a jumper at the buzzer to tie the game at 57 at the half. 

Another Markkanen flurry from beyond the arc helped push Utah slightly ahead during the opening minutes of the second half. The Finnisher would chip in with nine points during the third quarter, which came on 3-of-4 shooting from three. Unfortunately for the Jazz, the hot shooting was coupled with another batch of turnovers, which helped Dallas regain the advantage. A 13-0 run during the middle stage of the frame gave the Mavericks an 11-point lead, their largest of the night up to that point. Utah only scored six points over the final seven minutes of the third frame, which helped Dallas take an 89-76 lead into the final 12 minutes. 

A quick 7-0 burst from the Mavericks broke the game wide open, as the home team created a 20-point lead with 10 minutes left. Darryn Peterson found a rhythm and scored the first 12 points of the frame for Utah, but the deficit proved to be too large to overcome. The Jazz got within as many as 11 points, but untimely turnovers sunk the chance of a comeback. 

“I really do believe in our group and think that we’re improving,” Hardy said. “I see a lot of bright spots in each game.” 

Here are three takeaways from Friday’s NBA Cup action.

The Jazz struggled in the possession game 

The story in recent games for the Jazz has been that of a cold shooting spell holding the offense back.

And yet, as Utah went back to the locker room during the halftime break, 53.5-percent shooting from the field was fueling early success on that end of the floor. However, the game was tied at the break as a result of Dallas’ edge in the possession battle, which was mainly carved out through offensive rebounding.

The Mavericks grabbed 12 offensive rebounds during the first two quarters, vastly outpacing Utah’s success on the glass (four offensive rebounds). The Jazz also coughed it up 11 times during the first half, which although was nearly the same as Dallas’ total turnovers (10), did prevent a consistent flow on the offensive end.

During the third quarter, four Dallas offensive rebounds and seven more Jazz turnovers only exacerbated the issue for the visitors. Through three quarters of action, the Mavericks had 10 more shots than Utah, which when coupled with their edge from the line (24 attempts to just four for the Jazz), created a double-digit advantage. 

By the final buzzer, Utah had committed 21 turnovers and Dallas had grabbed 21 offensive rebounds, which combined together to result in 11 more shot attempts for the home team. The Mavericks ended the game with a 41.4 offensive rebound percentage, good for 93rd percentile among all games this season. 

Morez Johnson Jr. did most of the damage on the boards, with 17 total and 10 on the offensive end alone. The rookie big man was a key part in Dallas’ 44-19 edge in bench scoring. 

“The possession battle was out of hand today,” Hardy said. “Defensive rebounding has been a calling card for us all year. The turnovers are a hard issue to diagnose. We have to fight for our space and be solid with the ball, recognize the situations we’re in, and try to get off it earlier.” 

Shot-making initially fueled Utah’s offense 

Coming into Friday’s game, the Jazz were hoping to see shots fall at a more consistent rate. 

A 34-of-121 (28 percent) stretch over the prior three games had sunk Utah down the 3-point percentage rankings on the season and had stagnated the offense. 

In the early going against Dallas, it was the team’s shot-making and ball movement that stood out as a welcomed sight. The Jazz shot 53.5 percent from the field and 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from beyond the arc during the first half while racking up 17 assists (on 23 made shots). The visitors would almost certainly have scored over 60 points in the half were it not for the aforementioned turnovers. 

Markkanen and George were the leaders in the early going, combining for 23 points while George led the playmaking efforts with six assists. Markkanen kept it going in the third frame with nine more points and three made threes on his way to a 24-point effort. 

Utah ended the night at 15-of-39 (38.5 percent) from downtown and totaled 25 assists in the loss. 

Peterson’s mini breakout 

It’s hard for any rookie to adjust to life in the NBA, but especially a 19-year-old guard that’s in the starting lineup.

Peterson has shown flashes of quality shot-making, effective playmaking, and defensive activity, but continued to search for a consistent effort on a given night. 

Against Dallas on Friday, the second overall pick in this year’s draft had a standout effort. Peterson was efficient from the field (6-of-12, including 3-of-7 from three) on his way to 21 points, while he also added five assists, three blocks, and two steals. The rookie guard did most of his damage to begin the fourth quarter, as he scored the first 12 points of the frame for Utah.

“He did a good job of being patient and attacking the drop,” Hardy said of Peterson. “It’s a good moment to get him in those actions against that coverage.” 

The Jazz wrap up their road trip Sunday against the Timberwolves (5 p.m. MT, Jazz+).