Mavericks hope to recover from slow start, silence Jazz in Utah
Mavericks at Jazz
8 p.m. Wednesday, Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City
TV: FSSW
Radio: ESPN/103.3 FM, ESPN/1540 AM (Spanish)
Records: Mavs 0-3; Jazz 2-2
About the Mavericks: Dallas last started a season 0-4 in 2006-07, but won 67 of its next 78 games. “I’ll sign up for that again,” said forward Dirk Nowitzki, who was the leader of the 2006-07 squad. ... Nowitzki will be back in the starting lineup Wednesday after missing the last two games against the Houston Rockets with a stomach illness. Nowitzki tallied 22 points in the season opener at Indiana. ... Guards Wesley Matthews (foot) and J. J. Barea (knee) missed practice Tuesday, but coach Rick Carlisle expects both to play.
About the Jazz: Looking for a bump to make a playoff push, Utah added George Hill, Joe Johnson and Boris Diaw to the roster over the off-season. ... Diaw was averaging less than a point in 23 minutes per game entering Tuesday’s victory against the Spurs, mainly due to a leg contusion that has hampered his progress. Hill led the Jazz with 20 points per game and Johnson was second with 15.7 ppg. ... Rodney Hood (15.4 ppg) and Derrick Favors (10 ppg, 7.0 rpg, 1.5 steals) add to the Jazz balance. Center Rudy Gobert, who signed a four-year, $102 million extension on Monday, averaged 11 ppg and 8.0 rpg and was fifth in the NBA in blocks with 2.67 per contest entering Tuesday’s action.
This story was originally published November 1, 2016 at 8:55 PM with the headline "Mavericks hope to recover from slow start, silence Jazz in Utah."