Late Run Lifts Utah Jazz Past Dallas Mavericks

Lauri Markkanen led all scorers with 33 points, while Cooper Flagg paced the Mavericks with 26.

Related: Kevin Love, Jusuf Nurkic Praise Utah Jazz Culture

Jazz Make Amends for Wednesday’s Late Loss

Just 24 hours after blowing an eight-point lead in the final six minutes against the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Jazz flipped the script on the Mavericks.

Trailing 107-100 with 4:39 remaining, the Jazz locked in and outscored Dallas 16-7 to close the game.

Keyonte George drilled a three-pointer to cut the Mavericks’ lead to four, then Markkanen took over.

The Finnish forward scored the next six points, attacking Mavericks center Anthony Davis with a hook shot and two layups.

𝟭𝟯𝘁𝗵 game of 30+ for The King of the North this season 👑

the man’s an all-star, what more can we say? ⭐️#TakeNote presented by @ZionsBank pic.twitter.com/J1AJo2HLai

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 9, 2026

With the Jazz ahead by two, Brice Sensabaugh buried a three from the top of the key, stretching the lead to five with 1:41 left and effectively ending Dallas’ night.

While the Jazz found their offensive rhythm late, they also stifled the Mavericks’ attack.

“Our defense tonight, I thought was great,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “We had some really long stretches where we guarded the paint well — the fourth quarter, they only had four paint points.”

Dallas shot just 2-6 while the Jazz made their run, including a meaningless three in the final seconds.

After failing to finish off the reigning champion Thunder in Oklahoma City, the Jazz corrected their mistakes against Dallas.

Cody Williams Is Beginning to Carve Out a Niche

It’s hard to overstate how rough the first 62 games of Cody Williams’ career were.

The 10th overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft averaged just 4.6 points and 2.3 rebounds as a rookie, shooting a paltry 32 percent from the floor and 26 percent from three.

Then, somehow, he regressed in year two.

Williams opened this season averaging only 2.1 points and 0.8 rebounds in his first 12 games, shooting 30 percent from the floor and 11 percent from three.

Over his last 12, the Colorado product has posted a modest 5.9 points and 2.2 rebounds, but he’s shooting an improved 48 percent from the floor, despite hitting just 17 percent from three.

one thing about Cody is… he’s gonna 𝗗𝗨𝗡𝗞 💥 pic.twitter.com/TwWdWuSyYf

— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) January 9, 2026

“Cody continues to improve and is having some really solid minutes for us,” Hardy said. “His defense has been pretty high-level here recently.”

Against Dallas, Williams delivered arguably his most complete game of the season, recording eight points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals.

“He’s putting a lot of pressure on the rim,” Hardy added. “He caught two and a half lobs in a quarter, which I thought was great. [He’s] getting out in transition, putting pressure on the rim. He’s finding ways to impact the game.”

Williams still has significant room to grow, and until he shoots more consistently from three, his role remains uncertain.

However, compared to early December, the 21-year-old’s evolution is a welcome sign and worth tracking for the rest of the season.