The Dallas Mavericks will be looking for their first playoff series win in the Luka Doncic era, while the Utah Jazz will be looking to avoid more playoff letdowns. Outlooks for this series have shifted over the past couple of days, however, due to Doncic’s calf strain injury. Regardless of who’s available and what happens, this series will be between two of the league’s top teams.
NBA Playoffs Preview: Dallas Mavericks vs. Utah Jazz
The Regular Season
Dallas experienced a rough start to their season. By the end of 2021, the team was actually under .500. Doncic was struggling with fitness, Kristaps Porzingis was simply not producing, and then third-leading scorer Tim Hardaway Jr. broke his foot.
Once January rolled around, everything changed. Doncic went into a full-MVP mode, and Dallas was rolling. At the trade deadline, Porzingis was flipped for Spencer Dinwiddie and Davis Bertans. The Mavericks have been nothing short of great ever since, finishing fourth in the Western Conference with a 52-30 record.
Utah, on the other hand, finished three games behind Dallas with a 49-33 record. They were, of course, led by their star duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert. There’s always been some behind-the-scenes action with this duo, but at the end of the day, they produce results. The Jazz have plenty of solid role players as well but lost the experienced Joe Ingles.
Frontcourt
The normal starting frontcourt for Dallas features Dwight Powell, Dorian Finney-Smith, and Reggie Bullock. Powell’s had his fair share of criticism from Mavericks fans in the past, but his play has been much improved. He provides effort defensively, but it’s really his pick-and-roll connection with Doncic that allows him to shine. Finney-Smith and Bullock are both high-energy players. They bring in lockdown defense and great three-point shooting. Finney-Smith is a definite contender for an NBA All-Defense team. The Mavericks’ depth options include a defender in Maxi Kleber and a shooter in Bertans.
Utah’s starting frontcourt features Gobert, Royce O’Neale, and Bojan Bogdanovic. No matter the opponent, Gobert will stack up the rebounds and blocks. He’s arguably the top and most consistent defender in the NBA, and this will surely cause problems for Dallas. O’Neale doesn’t stand out with anything but does all the little things quite well. Finally, Bogdanovic is a fiery shooter and scorer. He cannot be left open. Utah’s depth is solid as well, featuring players such as Hassan Whiteside and Rudy Gay.
Advantage: Utah Jazz.
Backcourt
Dallas features Doncic and Jalen Brunson in their backcourt. Doncic is a superstar and looking more and more like the best guard in the entire league. This season he put up averages of 28 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists per game. His defense has also gone under-the-radar this season, and he’s been fantastic in guarding opposing point guards. Finally, his three-point shooting is also much improved. Brunson can do it all and is a great complementary scorer. Dinwiddie and Josh Green are depth options, and Dinwiddie will absolutely be a game-changer. It remains to be seen, however, what Doncic’s status is.
Utah features Mike Conley and Mitchell in their backcourt. Conley is as experienced as they come, and will provide shooting, leadership, and facilitation. Mitchell is Utah’s offensive star, averaging 26 points per game this season. He can go off on any given night, and Dallas must be wary of this. Jordan Clarkson features off the bench, and he remains one of the top bench players in the entire league.
Advantage: Dallas Mavericks.
Coaching and Intangibles
Jason Kidd had some rough patches in the past with coaching gigs but has been nothing short of excellent with the Mavericks. He improved the roster, improved play when Doncic is sitting, and made the Mavericks a defensive force. Putting the past aside, Kidd knows exactly what he’s doing.
Quin Snyder is very consistent with the Jazz, constantly bringing them into the playoffs. With this being said, the playoff appearances all end with disappointment. He’ll be looking to end this trend, but it seems more likely than not that Utah’s journey will fall short once again.
Dallas also claims the biggest star in this match-up with Doncic. Of course, his health will be the biggest concern with updates to come.
The two teams tied the season series with a 2-2 record. One of Utah’s wins, however, came versus a Doncic-less and COVID-depleted Mavericks squad featuring several 10-day contract players.
One thing to monitor is Finney-Smith’s lockdown defense against Mitchell. In the last two meetings, Mitchell shot 9/32 due to Finney-Smith.
Advantage: Dallas Mavericks.
Final Prediction: Dallas Mavericks in six
The amount of time Doncic misses, if any, remains to be seen. The positive for Dallas is that the first two games are at home while the team is much improved without Doncic due to Dinwiddie and Brunson. Should Doncic miss a game or two, the Mavericks are still capable of winning. When he plays though, Dallas will be a clear favorite.
Utah is a solid team and they’ll steal some wins, but overall the Mavericks are hot right now and built to succeed.
Main Image: Embed from Getty Images
