Jazz 100, Mavericks 94
SALT LAKE CITY - Gordon Hayward scored 27 points, grabbed five rebounds and dished out five assists to lead the Utah Jazz to a 100-94 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Monday night at EnergySolutions Arena.
Hayward hit a big 3-pointer with just over two minutes remaining to give the Jazz a seven-point cushion down the stretch and then sank a couple of free throws in the final 44 seconds to help Utah hold off Dallas.
Hayward's season-high scoring effort lifted the Jazz to their third win in four games and evened their record to 18-18.
Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks with 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Dallas, however, couldn't hold on to a six-point fourth-quarter lead while falling to 13-22 and losing for the 12th time in 14 games.
Al Jefferson had a double-double of 15 points and 11 rebounds, and Paul Millsap added 14 points and eight rebounds for the Jazz. Burks hit a pair of clutch free throws with 21.2 seconds remaining, finishing with 13 points while closing out the game in a point-guard role.
Chris Kaman contributed 14 points and nine rebounds for the struggling Mavericks.
After a tied game at half, 53-53, Dallas came out with a strong third quarter, taking a six-point lead into the fourth quarter after outscoring Utah 27-21.
The Jazz quickly charged back into it after two Burks free throws and a pair of Millsap buckets trimmed the Mavs' lead to 82-80.
During an ensuing 13-0, Burks hit a 3-pointer as the shot clock went off to knot the score at 86-all.
Hayward followed that with a steal and a strong drive to give the Jazz the lead for good at 88-86.
Hayward had a huge second quarter, helping turn Dallas' 26-19 first-quarter lead into a 53-53 tie headed into halftime.
In the second, Hayward totaled 15 points and either scored or assisted on 23 of the Jazz's 24 points in the quarter.
Hayward's final assist came on Marvin Williams' buzzer-beating 3-pointer from a couple of feet beyond the arc.
NOTES: Through Monday's game, the Jazz have played 36 games in 69 days, which equals one game every 1.92 days. After last season's lockout, Utah played 66 contests in 122 nights (one game every 1.85 days). That schedule doesn't lighten up for another week, with the Jazz playing four games through Monday. Utah then only plays one game over the following eight days. "That's one thing I do, look at the schedule," Jazz center Al Jefferson said. "You play a lot of games back-to-back or on the road, you know sooner or later it's going to come back to your favor." ... Jazz center Enes Kanter returned to the lineup after missing two games with a sprained right ankle. ... Dallas waived swingman Chris Douglas-Roberts on Sunday. ... The Mavericks will reportedly sign veteran guard Mike James to a 10-day contract, according to ESPN.com. James, currently with the D-League's Texas Legends, has played with 10 NBA teams during his career.
