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Most people counted the Dallas Mavericks out of their first-round playoff series against the Utah Jazz before it even began. Mavs superstar Luka Doncic suffered a calf strain in the final game of the regular season. Despite holding home court against the #5 seed Utah Jazz, just about everyone in basketball circles left the Mavs for dead. All they have done is go out and dominate both Games 2 and 3. The second game was a little more understandable. The Mavs were trailing 1-0 and were at home. You figure Dallas will get a great effort from most of their guys, knowing the season was on the line. But to go into Utah and absolutely crush the Jazz was shocking.
The play of the young Mavs guard, Jalen Brunson, has been outstanding. He followed up a 41-point effort in Game 2 with 31 points in Game 3. Dallas also got solid production from their bench, with both Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans showing out. Earlier reports have Doncic potentially making his return in Game 4 Sunday.
With that said, here are our 3 bold predictions for the Dallas Mavericks in Game 4 vs. the Utah Jazz.
Here are the Mavs-Jazz NBA playoffs odds, courtesy of FanDuel.
Dallas Mavericks 3 Bold Predictions for Game 4 vs. Utah Jazz
1. Luka Doncic plays less than 20 minutes
When news first broke that Mavs star forward Doncic had suffered a calf strain, there were concerns that he could be out for up to a month. After all, Jazz center Rudy Gobert missed a little over three weeks earlier this season with the same injury. Gobert's strain was considered mild. That must be the case here for Doncic, as he is far ahead of typical return dates for a more serious strain.
Before practice Friday, Doncic spoke about his possible return in Game 4.
Luka Doncic on Game 4 status vs. Jazz: "I don’t know. I'm going to practice today, so we'll see how it feels. I think after practice we’ll know if I’ll play or not. I feel good. I’m feeling better every day." 👀 #Mavs #MFFLhttps://t.co/XSwTRcLVHU
— Mavs Nation (@MavsNationCP) April 22, 2022
He went on to say that he no longer feels pain in his calf and appeared optimistic he will play.
But knowing that Dallas has the lead in the series now, the Mavs would be smart to limit his minutes. They obviously would love to take the 3-1 series lead back home to Dallas. But the rest of the roster has already proven they can win without him. The goal at this point should be focused on keeping him healthy for a deep run.
2. Jalen Brunson continues to dominate Jazz defense
The biggest reason the Mavs hold a series lead over Utah is because of Brunson. This guy has been incredible. Not just that, his performances have actually been historic.
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Mavs G Jalen Brunson has 72 points and only one turnover in the last two games, putting him in some pretty impressive company.
From @ESPNStatsInfo: pic.twitter.com/gxXl66vCj7
— Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) April 22, 2022
But it you were paying attention, it's not completely out of nowhere.
Brunson has always played smart, efficient basketball. That goes back to his college days at Villanova under head coach Jay Wright. Wright always has his ship buttoned up, and everyone typically plays defense. Brunson clearly took that to heart because he has been a plus defender at guard since first entering the NBA.
But this year, he took on an even larger role offensively, especially late in the season. Brunson finished the season averaging over 16 points per game, to go along with 4.8 assists, 3.9 rebounds and just under a steal per outing. But his efficiency is what made him stand out. He shot better than 50 percent on the season, and rarely ever turned the ball over. That's a very rare combination for a ball handler in the NBA.
Considering the Jazz are throwing Donovan Mitchell at him defensively, I see no reason why he doesn't continue to ball out.
Players are shooting 11% better than their normal FG% when guarded by Donovan Mitchell this playoffs. pic.twitter.com/pJEe9tnCL8
— StatMuse (@statmuse) April 22, 2022
3. Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans slow down their production in loss
As fantastic as Brunson has been, he hasn't been alone. Kleber and Bertans scored 17 and 15 points respectively in Game 3. Kleber was even better the game before, dropping 25. I would not expect that type of production again in Game 4.
Kleber has always shown he has the skills to be a very good player in the NBA. His biggest issue has always been consistency. Considering that, it would make logical sense on the road again, he will finally struggle. Bertans, on the other hand, is simply not very good. One has to figure that Gobert is taking offense to getting dominated by some back up bigs in at home in Game 3.
Generally speaking, role players struggle to score on the road. I think the well runs dry for the Dallas bench Sunday. Utah is going to play desperate basketball and win Game 4, setting up a great best-of-three series.
