SALT LAKE CITY – On Monday, we were all reminded that this is why they play the games.
With a patchwork lineup that would rival any of those quilts your grandma used to put together, the Mavericks pulled off a remarkable 124-111 victory over the Utah Jazz at Vivint Arena.
They had no Luka Donu010diu0107. They didn’t have Kyrie Irving or Markieff Morris yet. Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans were out.
But the 12 players who suited up all played and all contributed.
And they had a little extra motivation, too.
While Dwight Powell was putting up a career rebounding night with 16 boards (along with 12 points), rookie Jaden Hardy was throwing in 29 points, which matched Josh Green for tops in the game.