Brandon Williams and A.J. Lawson couldn’t do enough to secure the win for the Mavs
Saturday night marked the opening game of the 2024 NBA Summer League for the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas. They faced a Utah Jazz team loaded with first-round picks and players likely to make the main roster for the upcoming season. While the Jazz had already gained some experience in the Salt Lake City Summer League, this was Dallas’ first outing.
Utah took an early lead, but the Mavs fought back by the end of the first quarter. Brandon Williams scored 9 points in the opening frame, yet the Jazz held a narrow 19-18 lead heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter saw a back-and-forth battle with nine lead changes and several ties. Dallas began to see contributions from Jaz Gortman and A.J. Lawson, managing to take a 40-39 lead into halftime. Utah’s Kyle Filipowski was a key offensive player early on, showcasing a fade-away midrange shot and keeping the Jazz in the game despite their struggles from distance.
After halftime, Dallas dominated the third quarter, leading by as many as 11 points midway through the period. 2024 second-round pick Melvin Ajinca, who had a rough start, scored 9 points in the quarter, pairing with Emanuel Miller’s 6 points to give the Mavs a 6-point lead going into the final quarter.
However, the Mavs’ offense stalled early in the fourth quarter, allowing Utah to go on a 14-0 run and take a 78-70 lead. The Mavs rallied to tie the game at 80-80 following two free throws by A.J. Lawson. A quick 6-0 run by Utah gave them control again, but Dallas continued to fight back.
Brandon Williams hit two free throws to bring the Mavs within a point with 32 seconds remaining. Isaiah Collier missed a three-pointer as the shot clock expired on the next possession, and a loose-ball foul by Kenneth Lofton Jr. put Lawson on the free-throw line with 8 seconds left. Lawson missed the first shot and hit the second to tie the game.
Lofton drew a foul with two seconds remaining, leading Mavs coach Jared Dudley to use his last timeout to challenge the call. The challenge was unsuccessful, Lofton hit the first free throw to go up 90-89, intentionally missed the second to eat some time off the clock, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper’s full-court heave at the buzzer was no good. The Mavs lost their opening game of the 2024 Summer League.
Brandon Williams led the Mavs with 21 points, followed by A.J. Lawson with 16 points and 8 rebounds. 2023 first-round pick Olivier-Maxence Prosper had a rough game, shooting just 2/11 and finishing with 11 points, 7 of them from free throws. 2024 second-round pick Melvin Ajinca rebounded from early struggles to finish with 13 points on 5/13 shooting. Undrafted rookie Jamarion Sharp blocked 4 shots but was exploited in the pick-and-roll late in the game.
Despite their free-throw shooting prowess, making 32 free throws to Utah’s 11, the Mavs couldn’t secure the win.
For Utah, 2024 lottery pick Cody Williams also finished with 21 points, with help from Isaiah Collier’s 12 points and Kyle Filipowski’s 10 points.
The Mavericks will return to Summer League action on Monday against the Memphis Grizzlies at 6 p.m. CST.
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