by PegNews wire

Mavs play soft and lose in Utah.

The Dallas Mavericks handed the Jazz a gift-wrapped win Wednesday night, playing soft and uninspired en route to a 99-90 loss in Utah. The Mavericks, seemingly lulled to sleep by the Christmas holiday, came out looking slow and tired as the Jazz built up a 16-0 lead. They did come back, even going slightly ahead at one point, before completely abandoning the inside game in the fourth.

Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavs with 20 points and 9 rebounds, but only connected on 3-of-10 three pointers, leading the Mavs by example in avoiding contact at all costs and settling for long-range jump shots. The Mavericks as a team had 26 three point attempts, making 9, compared to just 21 free throws.

Josh Howard and Devin Harris both added 17 points for the Mavs, while Devean George provided a lone spark with 13 points in just 23 minutes. Jason Terry was problematic all game, shooting 0-for-10, including 0-for-6 on three's, ending up with a big zero in the scoring column.

Posted by Todd M.

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