The Dallas Mavericks look to maintain the early pace in NBA Cup group-stage competition on Friday when they host a Utah Jazz team playing its first contest of this season’s tournament.
Dallas tipped off its NBA Cup campaign last Friday with a 116-111 win over the Houston Rockets, the last victory in a three-game winning streak. The Mavericks have since dropped two straight, including a 112-111 heartbreaker at the reigning Western Conference champion San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.
Cooper Flagg (19 points, 10 rebounds) and P.J. Washington (21 points, 10 rebounds) each recorded a double-double against the Spurs. Kyrie Irving, who missed the Mavericks’ 115-100 home loss to the Sacramento Kings on Monday, returned to score 29 points.
Irving has produced his two highest-scoring performances of the season his last two times out, starting with a 35-point effort to lead Dallas’ NBA Cup defeat of Houston.
But the 16-year pro’s outstanding showing against San Antonio was not enough to overcome 52 points and 24 rebounds from Victor Wembanyama.
The Mavericks now shift their focus to West Group A opponent Utah, playing the third date of a four-game road trip and limping in on a six-game losing skid.
The Jazz dropped a 120-113 overtime decision to the Pelicans in New Orleans on Wednesday despite 39 points from Keyonte George. Utah also got a 21-point, 10-rebound double-double from Lauri Markkanen, but Ace Bailey was the only other Jazz scorer in double figures with 15 points.
“I believe the shooting is going to turn, so we have to stay on process offensively,” Utah coach Will Hardy said. “We haven’t gotten the results that we want, but our team’s improving. We’re better than we were two weeks ago.”
Wednesday’s double-double from Markkanen was the second straight game of at least 20 points from the former All-Star. Markkanen suffered a wrist injury on Oct. 26 against the Memphis Grizzlies, and Hardy noted the big man has been “in a lot of pain” while also filling a new position, center.
Dallas is similarly reintegrating Naji Marshall after an illness sidelined him for last week’s NBA Cup opener. Marshall’s malady was significant enough that Mavericks coach Dusty May told reporters last week he was concerned Marshall had “dropped weight” as a result.
Against San Antonio, however, Marshall contributed 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting off the bench.
“I feel like I was letting (the team) down, just being sick,” Marshall said. “I know I’m human and can’t control that, but I just want to win and be there for my team … I’m just happy to be back to my regular form.”
Marshall (13.6 points per game) is one of four Mavericks averaging double figures in scoring to begin the season. Flagg, the NBA’s 2025-26 Rookie of the Year, leads the quartet at 24.3 points per contest.
Utah is getting 22 ppg from George and 17.1 ppg from Markkanen. With Jaren Jackson Jr. (16.3 ppg) out for a reported six to eight weeks due to a knee injury, Utah’s next-most productive scorer is rookie Darryn Peterson (12.6 ppg).
–Field Level Media
