P.J. Washington’s 26 points and Cooper Flagg’s all-around performance powered Dallas to a 112-100 home win over Utah on Friday in NBA Cup group-stage competition.
Flagg finished with 21 points, 10 rebounds, seven assists and three steals, matching Kyrie Irving’s total, to key the Mavericks’ defensive effort.
Dallas forced the Jazz into 21 turnovers, helping negate Utah’s 3-point shooting advantage. Led by Lauri Markkanen, who scored all 24 of his team-high in points on 8-of-15 shooting from beyond the arc, Utah hit six more 3-pointers than the Mavericks (15-of-39 to 9-of-32).
Rookie Darryn Peterson scored 21 points for Utah, while Keyonte George added 16 points and nine rebounds.
The Mavericks went on a 19-7 run late in the second quarter, turning a 42-35 deficit into a 54-49 lead on a Washington 3-pointer with 2:31 remaining.
Utah managed to tie the game at 57-all at the half.
With its bevy of takeaways, and an overwhelming 63-45 rebounding edge, Dallas wore Utah down in the second half. They outscored the visitors 32-19 in the third quarter and kept the onslaught going into the fourth quarter with the period’s first seven points, opening up a game-high 20-point lead.
Dallas enjoyed a 44-19 scoring advantage among its back-ups, including 13 points from Morez Johnson Jr. and 12 apiece from Walter Clayton Jr. and Josh Okogie.
Johnson led the Mavericks’ dominance on the glass, grabbing 17 rebounds, including 10 on the offensive glass. Johnson’s efforts helped Dallas to a 20-5 edge in second-chance points.
Irving scored 14 points, joining starters Washington and Flagg scoring in double-figures.
Dallas’ reserves Santi Aldama and Naji Marshall chipped in with eight and seven points respectively.
There were four ties and four lead changes in the first quarter as Utah took a 28-26 lead after 12 minutes.
Friday’s loss marked Utah’s seventh straight, including each of the first three on the Jazz’s current, four-game road swing.
