Mavericks 120, Jazz 102
Dirk Nowitzki scored 21 points on 9-of-13 shooting as Dallas opened up a 25-point halftime lead and rolled past visiting Utah.
Chandler Parsons also scored 21 points and Al-Farouq Aminu had 16 points and 10 rebounds as the Mavericks shot 55.3 percent from the field. Monta Ellis and Brandan Wright added 14 points apiece, Tyson Chandler scored 13 and Devin Harris tallied 12 as Dallas recorded its first victory of the season.
Derrick Favors had 17 points and 11 rebounds but couldn’t prevent the Jazz from losing their second straight game. Trey Burke and Gordon Hayward had 16 points apiece and Alec Burks scored 15 as Utah lost to the Mavericks for the sixth consecutive time.
Dallas controlled play from the outset but saw Utah trim a 30-point second-quarter deficit to 14 in the third. The Mavericks increased the lead back to 93-73 entering the fourth and a 3-pointer by Harris pushed the margin to 24 with 7:33 to play as Dallas cruised to the finish.
The Mavericks shot 64 percent from the field while building a 16-point lead after one quarter and the advantage reached 30 on Harris’ 3-pointer with 2:57 remaining in the half. Dallas led 69-44 at the break and Utah showed signs of life during an 11-2 burst to pull within 80-66 with 4:52 left in the third quarter.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Nowitzki is 30-of-39 from the field in his last three games against Utah. … The Jazz attempted 35 3-point attempts to match the franchise record. … The Mavericks enjoyed a 52-28 edge in points in the paint.