Mavericks-Jazz Preview: Still Small, But Wood Will Return

SALT LAKE CITY – The NBA schedule waits for no one.

The Mavericks will face even fewer opponents against the Utah Jazz on Monday night than they did on Saturday against Golden State, when Luka Doncic, Christian Wood, Maxi Kleber and Davis Bertans were out due to injuries.

They would bring Wood back against the Jazz after he missed eight games with a broken left thumb.

But Spencer Dinwiddie and Dorian Finney-Smith will not be on the team, so the Mavericks will not have their top five players. In addition, Frank Ntilikina is questionable due to illness.

Wood’s return is much needed. He said after Monday morning’s Mavericks shootout at the Vivint Arena that he was ready to challenge the Jazz.

“Great as hell, I can’t wait,” Wood said of his health and his readiness to play on Monday.

Wood injured his thumb against Atlanta when Hawks forward John Collins punched him in the arm.

“That’s when I damaged it the first time,” Wood said. “Then I tried to dunk later in the game but hit him again, making him 10 times worse.”

Wood’s return will be welcome because the Mavericks can only have 11 healthy bodies tonight. Wood will help Dwight Powell get into the inside positions.

“We need everyone we can get right now,” Wood said.

Missing many key players and having a shorter bench isn’t ideal in high Utah, especially when you’re up against one of the teams that are close behind you in the Western Conference standings.

Yet their five-game journey continues nonetheless. And the Mavericks know that all of these games will be critical to the standings and potential tiebreakers going forward.

“Everyone is in the Western Conference,” said coach Jason Kidd. “You can go from fourth place to tenth.^th (in the blink of an eye). After the break it will make exciting basketball.

“The playoffs will start early. I think the league and the players will be ready for it. Every game and possession will mean something after the break, which doesn’t happen often. Many times you will have four teams trying to keep healthy and get into the rhythm before the playoffs start. But I think the playoffs will start a little earlier than usual.”

Maybe even before the All-Star break if the Mavericks can beat the odds and overcome their undernumbered position against the Jazz.

Here’s what else to watch on Monday night:

• They’ll be out for Doncic for the second straight game after he suffered a bruised right heel against New Orleans on Thursday. Technically, the Mavericks are 0-7 this season without Luka, even though they beat Phoenix in a game when their superstar point guard only played three minutes.
• The Jazz are one of the surprise teams in the Western Conference this season, led by new star player Lauri Markkanen, who is averaging 24.9 points and 8.7 rebounds. The Jazz on Monday were one of nine – yes, nine – teams in the West with 26 or 27 losses. Mavericks is also one of them.
• The Jazz are also benefiting greatly from Jordan Clarkson, who has moved into the starter role and is averaging 21 points.
• Tim Hardaway Jr. had periods of good fortune and chills as a 3-point shooter – often in close proximity to each other. But he never stops shooting. Why? “I have very, very confident teammates. And they instill it in me. I’ll be damned if I refuse to take a shot. I’m going to keep throwing the ball when I’m open, keep being aggressive. If my shot doesn’t fall, my shot doesn’t fall. Just try to go out and compete.” He came alive with five triples (on 10 attempts) against the Warriors.
• DALLAS MAVERICS (28-26) v UTAH JAZZ (27-27)
• When: 20:00 Monday.
• Where: Vivint Arena, Salt Lake City.
• TV: Southwestern sport Bally.
• Radio:1 FM, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish).

Twitter: @ESefko