Jazz Fall To Mavericks On Historically Bad Shooting Night
Mar 21, 2024, 9:44 PM | Updated: 9:45 pm
Utah Jazz forward Lauri Markkanen (Source: Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
(Source: Scott G. Winterton, Deseret News)
SALT LAKE CITY – The Utah Jazz continued their recent struggles with a 113-97 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back.
Playing without John Collins (face contusion) and Jordan Clarkson (groin strain), Lauri Markkanen scored 21 points to lead the Jazz but shot just 6-20 from the floor.
Luka Doncic scored 34 points while grabbing nine rebounds and dishing out eight assists.
Related: Recapping Jazz Loss To The Mavericks
Worst Three-Point Shooting Night In Jazz History?
After connecting on 4-30 attempts from downtown, it’s worth asking if the Jazz had the worst three-point shooting night in franchise history.
Prior to Thursday’s loss, the Jazz had never made fewer than 14 percent of their threes when attempting at least 20 shots from beyond the arc.
Against Dallas, the team combined to make only 13.3 percent on 30 attempts.
“Obviously, we really struggled to shoot the ball from the perimeter,” Jazz coach Will Hardy said. “Four for 30, which, that’s just life. I thought the team for the most part tried to move the ball.”
I think there’s a real argument that’s the worst three-point shooting night in @UtahJazz history.
First time they’ve attempted at least 20 threes and shot below 14%.
Just so happens they shot 30 threes, made only four, good for 13.3%.
— Ben Anderson (@BensHoops) March 22, 2024
The Jazz did record 29 assists on 38 made shots, but turned the ball over 18 times against the Mavericks.
No Jazz player made more than one deep ball against Dallas, with Markkanen’s 1-9 night serving as the main offender on missed threes.
Keyonte George scored 18 points but shot just 1-5 from three and had six turnovers to his five assists.
Sensabaugh Does The Other Things
The Jazz coaching staff has been asking Brice Sensabaugh to find ways to affect the game outside of scoring, and it appears the message is beginning to hit home.
Despite a difficult 1-7 shooting performance, the rookie recorded a career-high five assists to go with eight rebounds in 19 minutes off the bench.
Ömer threes >>>#Pura3Pointer | @pura pic.twitter.com/EAgdku32kR
— Utah Jazz (@utahjazz) March 22, 2024
Sensbaugh did not get a chance to show off his playmaking during his freshman season at Ohio State, but revealed a more well-rounded offensive game during his time in the G League with the Salt Lake City Stars.
After recording just four total assists in his first 11 NBA appearances, Sensabaugh has recorded at least two in each of his last nine outings, and hasn’t gone without an assist since March 2.
Utah Jazz Standings Watch
With their loss to the Mavericks, the Jazz now sit at 29-41 on the season and in the 12th seed in the Western Conference.
The Houston Rockets won their seventh-straight game on Thursday, moving a full 5.0 games ahead of the Jazz in the Western Conference standings.
Related: What Happens If Jazz Win The Draft Lottery?
With just 12 games left to play, the Jazz are almost certain to finish with one of the 10-worst records in the NBA, giving them at worst an 80 percent chance of holding onto the selection in the draft lottery.
The Jazz will also end the night sitting no closer than 1.5 games below of the Atlanta Hawks and with the ninth-worst record in the NBA.
Utah Jazz Next Broadcast
The Jazz will face the Rockets on Saturday at 6 pm MST in Houston. The game will be televised on KJZZ, streamed on Jazz+, and can be heard on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone.
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Ben Anderson is the Utah Jazz insider for KSL Sports and the co-host of Jake and Ben from 10-12p with Jake Scott on 97.5 The KSL Sports Zone. Find Ben on Twitter at @BensHoops or on Instagram @BensHoops.
