Saturday night was the opening night of the 2024 NBA Summer League for the Dallas Mavericks in Las Vegas, and they went up against a Utah Jazz team filled with first-round picks and players who will likely be on the main roster for this upcoming season.
The Jazz already had some experience playing in the Salt Lake City Summer League, whereas this was Dallas’ first game.
Utah rolled out to an early lead but the Mavs worked themselves back in by the end of the first quarter.
Brandon Williams had 9 points in the first quarter but the Jazz held a slim 19-18 lead heading into the second frame.
The second quarter was back-and-forth, with nine lead changes and a few ties.
Dallas started getting some production from Jaz Gortman and A.J. Lawson and took a 40-39 lead into halftime.
Kyle Filipowski was Utah’s main offensive force early, showing off a fade-away midrange shot and keeping the Jazz in it as they struggled to shoot from distance early.
After halftime, the third quarter was all Dallas, leading by as many as 11 points midway through the period.
2024 second-round pick Melvin Ajinca shook off a rough start to score 9 points in the quarter, pairing with Emanuel Miller’s 6 points in the quarter to take a 6-point lead into the final quarter.
