‘Flipped The Switch’: Dallas Mavericks Pull Away From Utah Jazz 112-100 As P.J. Washington Scores 26, Santi Aldama Debuts
DALLAS — P.J. Washington scored 22 points in the first half Friday night and made 5 of his 6 3-point attempts before the break. The Dallas Mavericks went into halftime tied 57-57 with the Utah Jazz, then outscored Utah 32-19 in the third quarter on the way to a 112-100 win at American Airlines Center.
Washington finished with 26 points and 6 rebounds on 7-of-14 shooting, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range. Cooper Flagg scored 15 of his 21 points in the third quarter and added 10 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak and moved Dallas to 5-4. A sellout crowd of 19,568 was on hand. The Mavericks are 2-0 in West Group A of the NBA Cup. Utah fell to 1-8 with its seventh straight loss.
Kyrie Irving missed the morning shootaround with an illness and was listed as probable. He went 1-of-9 from the field in the first half, then scored 12 of his 14 points after halftime on 6-of-11 shooting.
Flagg and Irving combined for 23 of Dallas’ 32 points in the third quarter. Mavericks coach Dusty May said Dallas wore Utah down in the second half with its intensity and on-ball pressure.
“I’m not sure what changed,” May said. “I noticed that it just looked like they were, they’re just playing with great competitive spirit. I thought the second half, for whatever reason, we just kind of locked in, and we just looked like we’re just out there on the playground having fun playing basketball.”
“Their physicality, their intensity, whatever it was, they flipped the switch at half and came out with a different look,” May continued.
P.J. Washington Hits 5 Of 6 From 3-Point Range Before Halftime
Washington’s first basket was a 23-foot 3-pointer off a Flagg pass that tied the game at 3 in the opening minute. Less than two minutes later, Daniel Gafford blocked a Darryn Peterson 3-point attempt and ran the floor for a dunk and a free throw. Gafford’s alley-oop dunk off a Flagg lob made it 10-5, and Washington’s second 3-pointer put Dallas up 15-10 with 7:22 left in the first quarter.
Utah answered behind Lauri Markkanen, who scored 12 points in the first quarter on 4-of-7 shooting from 3-point range. The Jazz led 28-26 after one quarter. An Ace Bailey pull-up with 8:38 left in the second put them up 40-32, their biggest lead of the night.
Washington and Walter Clayton Jr. played all 12 minutes of the second quarter. Washington scored 16 points in it, going 4-of-5 from the field, 3-of-4 from 3-point range, and 5-of-5 at the free-throw line.
His 3-pointers with 3:22 and 2:31 left pushed Dallas ahead 54-49. With 1:02 left, he finished an alley-oop from Max Christie and made the free throw for a 57-53 lead. Keyonte George scored Utah’s last 4 points of the half, the second on a 15-foot floater with 0.5 seconds left that tied the game at 57.
Washington also had 5 defensive rebounds, a steal, and a block, and he finished plus-9.
“Just try to be the glue guy for everybody,” Washington said. “Just try to clean up everybody’s messes and just make everything stick.”
Flagg assisted four of Washington’s six 3-pointers. Clayton and Santi Aldama set up one each.
“When anybody has a hot hand, you just want to feed them,” Washington explained. “So that goes with anybody on the team. Everybody. I mean, when you get the feeling, it just kind of, you feel you want the ball to come to you, and you just want to shoot it. So it just felt like that to me.”
Washington entered Friday averaging 14.5 points and 8.0 rebounds while shooting 30.8% from 3-point range through eight games. He has been working on his shot with Mavericks assistant and shooting coach Rob Fodor.
“It’s been huge for me,” Washington said. “He’s done a lot with my shots so far, so I just trust everything he’s been telling me, and he’s been doing wonders for me so far.”
Dusty May Says Dallas Mavericks Need Washington To Be A 3-Point Shooting Force
Washington’s aggressiveness shooting the 3 gives Dallas a whole other dimension, in May’s view. Washington’s 22 first-half points topped the 21 that Morez Johnson Jr., Clayton, and Gafford, Dallas’ next three scorers, combined for before the break.
“We need P.J. to be a three-point shooting force,” May explained. “I mean, he’s got a beautiful shot. He’s one of those guys, we played him at the five against San Antonio. We played him at four. We played him at three when we want to go big.”
“He may have told on himself tonight. He really sat down and guarded a couple quick, fast point guards, and stayed in front of the ball and got some deflections,” May added. “So he was really, really good. I love him shooting with that amount of confidence because we need it. But overall, just a really good game by P.J., especially in the first half. Like I said, we won the hustle plays in the first half, but without his shots, we have a deficit.”
Washington took 10 of Dallas’ 32 3-point attempts. The rest of the roster went 3-of-22 from beyond the arc.
“It’s paramount because each game looks so different now,” May said. “We have to play the game in front of us. Some nights it’s going to be up and down. Some nights it’s going to be a slugfest. Some nights we’ve got to defend three better. Whatever the case.”
“He just gives you so much versatility offensively and defensively because he’s able to get to the rim and finish. His spacing now is going to give us a whole other dimension because he’s being so aggressive shooting the three,” May continued. “So he’s just got to continue to stay hungry and get better.”
After halftime, Washington went 1-of-7 from the field. His lone make was a 3-pointer off a Flagg pass with 5:21 left in the fourth quarter that put Dallas ahead 105-91.
“I don’t know how they happen. It’s just kind of like just happening like that,” Washington said. “But obviously, when you got Kyrie and Cooper, they’re gonna draw a lot of attention, and we got a lot of guys that shoot the ball. So I just try to find myself, get my feet under me, and just try to shoot with confidence.”
Santi Aldama Debuts Against The Team That Drafted Him
Aldama checked in with 8:03 left in the second quarter and Dallas trailing 40-35. His first points as a Maverick came 34 seconds later on a tip-in of a missed Clayton 3-pointer. Twenty-three seconds after that, his pass set up Washington’s 3-pointer that cut Utah’s lead to 42-40.
He finished with 8 points and 9 rebounds, 4 of them offensive, in 13 minutes, 3 seconds. Utah unsuccessfully challenged a foul on Brice Sensabaugh 21 seconds into the fourth quarter, and Aldama made all three free throws to push the lead to 92-76. Dallas was plus-17 in his minutes.
Utah drafted Aldama 30th overall in 2021 and traded his rights to the Memphis Grizzlies on draft night. His last game before Friday came Feb. 4 with Memphis. On March 17, he had an arthroscopic procedure on his right knee.
Dallas acquired Aldama in a six-team trade on July 8. He sat out all four preseason games and the first eight games of the regular season, and before tip-off Friday, May said Aldama’s workload would be an in-game decision.
Before Friday, Aldama had done walkthroughs with the second unit but had not practiced with Flagg, Irving, or Washington.
“Just honestly happy to be out there,” Aldama said. “It just felt so good to feel the energy of an NBA game and just be out there. But yeah, just trying to impact the game as soon as I got there.”
“I haven’t even, like, practiced with these guys, like Coop, Kai, P.J. I’ve done some walkthrough with the second unit, but not the first,” Aldama continued. “So I’m like, the only way where we can find some common ground is playing hard, and just credit to them just making me feel welcome. We don’t have, quote unquote, chemistry because we’ve never been together, and it just seemed seamless for me. So it was just an amazing experience. I’m really high right now.”
May and his staff had seen Aldama play with Dallas’ two-way players and in the video room, but not with the regular rotation. At shootaround Friday, May said, everything looked a little bit better with Aldama on the floor.
“We had a gut feel. We hadn’t really seen Santi play with our guys yet,” May said. “He’s played with the two-ways and the video room and things like that. And even today in shootaround … I just looked out and thought, wow, everything looks a little bit better with Santi because he’s such a good cutter.”
“He’s such a good decision maker. He stretches the defense with the spacing, so he’s just one of those guys that he’s an elite connector, but he’s also a good decision maker with the ball in his hands,” May detailed. “And I thought he guarded well tonight, in addition to that.”
Aldama watched Dallas’ first eight games from the bench.
“Very, very. Anytime I get to watch an NBA game and [not] play in it, it’s really tough,” Aldama explained. “But I really felt the love from them today. Obviously, but just walking around the city, everybody was just excited to have me back. And that means a lot to me because basketball is my life. And yeah, just getting to do that tonight was very special.”
With Aldama on the floor, Dallas outscored Utah 19-9 in the second quarter and 12-6 to close the third. Coaches and staff made the instructions very clear, in his view, and everybody on the roster wants to win.
“I think coach, coaches, staff do a great job of making instructions very clear and kind of get us all on the same page. And then them, I think everybody just wants to win,” Aldama said. “So we’re just, again, maybe we haven’t played together. We don’t know what anybody does together in that specific moment, but like, we all want to win. So we’re trying to get the best available shot, get every rebound. Like, we’re just playing hard.”
“And when you play hard, it overrides a lot of mistakes that may have happened,” Aldama added. “But like I said, I think when we got those spurts, so when we just got those moments where we went on runs, I think it was just basically us playing harder.”
Dallas has done a better job communicating over the last few weeks, Aldama said. Selflessness is what stood out to him from the bench.
“I think the selflessness and just everybody wants to win. Like, I know I’ve said it a couple times, but that’s really something that stuck out,” Aldama said. “Like regardless, like some days some guys score more points or less points, or some guys have a hotter hand, whatever it may be. We all want to win, so we just find the open guy. We just play hard. We talk to each other.”
“I think these last few weeks we’ve done a better job of being able to communicate frankly … So yeah, I think we have a great group of guys, great group of basketball players,” Aldama noted. “And when you have that, and obviously great guys like Coop and Kai, it just makes it so much easier.”
Mavericks Teammates On Playing Next To Aldama
Washington faced Aldama as a Southwest Division opponent for two seasons while Aldama was with Memphis. Aldama is listed at 7-foot, and Washington called him a mismatch for opponents.
“Oh, it’s great. I mean, he’s a mismatch nightmare,” Washington said. “Obviously, being seven foot, it’s not a lot of guys that can guard him. He can play on the perimeter. He can play inside. So I think he’s just a mismatch nightmare for us, and I can’t wait to utilize him in a lot of different ways.”
“He’s a great player. He’s smart out there as well, so it’s definitely fun playing with guys like that,” Washington continued.
Three of Aldama’s 4 offensive rebounds came in the second quarter.
“I love him. I love him. I’ve been telling everybody I didn’t realize he was this tall. He’s all of seven foot,” Washington said. “But I mean, I think he’s a great player for us. Obviously, he was killing it on the offensive glass tonight. He can shoot, he can stretch the floor, he can play multiple positions on the defensive end. So I think he’s a great addition for us, and I’m super excited to have him back.”
Friday was the first time Johnson and Aldama played together. Johnson, Aldama, Washington, Clayton, and Naji Marshall shared the floor for the first 3:06 after Aldama checked in, and Dallas outscored Utah 9-5 over that stretch.
“This is like the first time we actually played together,” Johnson said. “We have space on the floor like that, and we picking and popping sometimes, just making the defense have to decide whether they want to drop or to switch everything.”
Flagg said Aldama’s return makes defenses choose what they want to do, with Johnson, Aldama, and Gafford all able to play in quick actions.
“I think like Rez said, just having Santi back is gonna make the defense have to choose what they want to do,” Flagg said. “Having him and Santi out there picking and popping, quicker, quick actions. Two very athletic guys. I mean, with Gaff too. So I think just throwing more and more looks at them.”
“We got guys that are really, really big and can space the floor,” Flagg continued. “I think Santi’s just gonna add some more of that, and it’s gonna be really good for us.”
Cooper Flagg, Kyrie Irving Power A 32-19 Third Quarter
Markkanen made three 3-pointers in the first four minutes of the third quarter, the last tying the game at 68 with 8:02 left. Eighteen seconds later, Bailey’s alley-oop dunk off a Peterson pass gave Utah a 70-68 lead.
Flagg tied it at 70 from the free-throw line. Irving’s 15-foot pull-up off a Johnson pass with 7:01 left put Dallas ahead for good.
From the 70-70 tie, Dallas closed the quarter on a 19-6 run. Irving had 2 steals, a floater, and a 19-foot pull-up during the stretch. Flagg added a cutting dunk off a Marshall pass and a 17-foot pull-up with a minute left. Marshall’s layup with 8.4 seconds left made it 89-73 before Josh Okogie hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Flagg scored 15 points in the quarter on 4-of-7 shooting and went 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. Irving had 8 points on 4-of-9 shooting. Utah went 7-of-19 from the field and committed 7 turnovers in the third, while Dallas committed 1.
According to play-type tracking data, Utah scored on 4 of its 22 half-court possessions in the third quarter. Dallas scored on 13 of its 23.
Flagg entered Friday shooting 21.2% from 3-point range through seven games. His teammates have kept him in good spirits through it.
“I just stayed the course. Shots will fall,” Flagg said. “And I got to give a lot of credit to my teammates. Obviously, I’ve been struggling a little bit from the field, and I think a lot of the shots that I’m very comfortable taking and making haven’t been going in.”
“So, a lot of credit to my teammates just keeping me in good spirits and keeping my head up high,” Flagg continued. “Just making sure I know that they believe in me has been a big thing, and just trusting that, trusting the effort, just doing the little things to get myself going, and found some energy, and was able to just make some plays.”
Dallas had 4 steals in the third quarter, 2 from Irving and 1 each from Flagg and Johnson.
“I think definitely. I think that’s what went into it. A lot of the time, even if shots aren’t going in, you got to find ways to impact the game,” Flagg explained. “So I thought as a team, second half we came out with a different defensive tempo and competitive spirit, and I think that led to a lot of easier ones for us.”
Earlier in the season, Dallas dug itself holes out of frustration over missed shots, Aldama said. Outside of Washington, the Mavericks were not making many shots in the first half Friday.
“I think we, except P.J., maybe we weren’t really making shots. So sometimes that may lead to frustration,” Aldama said. “But we’ve been in moments where we’ve kind of dug ourselves a hole because maybe we’re overly frustrated because of that. But I think we stayed even keel and we just kept executing.”
“Just keep executing, trust what we do, and then eventually, if we play our brand of basketball, we will win games,” Aldama detailed.
Morez Johnson Jr. Grabs 17 Rebounds, 10 On The Offensive Glass
Johnson, the ninth overall pick in June, finished with 13 points, 17 rebounds, and 2 assists off the bench in 23 minutes, 48 seconds. Ten of his rebounds came on the offensive end. He shot 5-of-8 and finished plus-20, the best mark of anyone in the game.
He entered Friday averaging 7.4 points and 3.1 rebounds in 15.9 minutes through eight games. Lower-leg soreness limited him in training camp, and he was listed with a shin injury before Dallas’ Oct. 24 home game against the San Antonio Spurs.
In the first quarter, Johnson had 7 points and 6 rebounds, 5 of them offensive, in 6 minutes, 13 seconds. His 3-pointer off a Flagg pass with 2:35 left cut Utah’s lead to 23-22, and his two free throws 34 seconds later gave Dallas a 24-23 lead.
May coached Johnson at Michigan, which won the national championship in April. Before Friday, May said, Johnson had not been in the type of shape he is typically in.
“Obviously I’m biased. I’ve known Rez for a long time, but you don’t practice and you don’t train. You’re not in any type of rhythm, and then because of that, he wasn’t in the type of shape that he’s typically in,” May said. “He’s got his weight down. He looks like he’s in game shape now, and the first glimpse was in San Antonio when Naji threw the lob. He thought he was playing with Wemby, but it was Rez, and Rez went up and got it, even though he didn’t finish it.”
“That was the first glimpse where the staff said, ‘OK, his athleticism is almost back.’ But yeah, his energy, his effort, I mean, he’s a winning player,” May continued. “And for a guy that you don’t call any plays for, if he can get you 17 and 13, or 13 and 17, without calling any plays for him, we need those type of glue guys.”
Johnson has been frustrated with his play, in May’s view, even while making winning plays when they mattered most.
“He’s an everyday guy, so he’s handled it well, but he’s been frustrated. And even when he was frustrated with his play, he was making an impact on winning plays when it mattered most,” May said. “But I think just now he’s just relieved to be getting back in the flow of playing, and he has to continue to take care of his body.”
“But he looks great. I mean, this is the guy that I think we’ll see regularly,” May added. “He was out-hustling everyone on the court, multiple possessions.”
Midway through his own answer about Johnson, Flagg checked how many offensive rebounds Johnson had. It was 10.
“I thought Rez was amazing,” Flagg said. “But I think just his effort crashing every single time … He was playing both sides of the ball at a really high level, so I think when he’s in that mode, it’s gonna make us a lot better.”
Johnson’s alley-oop dunk off a Marshall pass with 1:41 left in the third quarter made it 85-73. Johnson pointed to that dunk when talking about how close he is to his best physically.
“I’m back, man. Right here. See that lob? No one’s doing that to us,” Johnson said.
Johnson also blocked a Markkanen layup with 16.3 seconds left in the third quarter.
“Dealing with the shin injury, I wasn’t able to be as athletic as I can be, but I’m glad the shin issue’s going away again. Back to being bouncy a little bit,” Johnson explained.
Flagg went first overall in the 2025 NBA Draft. Johnson went ninth a year later, and Flagg said what stands out about the two of them is effort.
“I think it’s something that stands out with us, and something that I think is really going to be key for us is just our effort,” Flagg said. “I think we’re two guys that, obviously we’re talented, but it more comes down to the mentality and effort, and we’re gonna show up every night and play our hardest to win and compete at a really high level.”
“So I think that’s just something to expect, and that’s the standard we’re trying to set, and the culture we’re trying to build is just a high-level competing culture where we’re not just going through the motions,” Flagg added.
Mavericks Turn 21 Offensive Rebounds Into 20 Second-Chance Points
Dallas outrebounded Utah 55-41 and grabbed 21 offensive rebounds to the Jazz’s 8. The Mavericks scored 20 second-chance points to Utah’s 5 and outscored the Jazz 48-36 in the paint.
According to play-type tracking data, Dallas turned 10 putback possessions into 10 points and reset its offense after 11 other offensive rebounds. Utah scored 0.400 points per possession after its 8 offensive rebounds, while Dallas scored 1.000.
Utah had Dallas bogged down in the first half, May said, by limiting passes and assists and getting the Mavericks into one-on-one battles.
“The effort plays, the second shots, those allowed us just to hang around, and we didn’t have to dig ourselves out of a hole in the second half because Utah was playing well in the first half,” May said. “They were making shots. They found some holes in our defense. They had us bogged down. It’s what they do. They limit passes. They limit assists, and they get you into this one-on-one battle. And they’re quick and fast, and they’re good individual defenders.”
“So we didn’t adjust to the game very well early, but because of the effort plays, we were able to hang around, and in the second half, just on our intensity level, our on-ball pressure, and we were able to wear them down, especially with our bench,” May continued. “I thought our bench was awesome tonight, and each night it’d be a little bit different. But the group that played majority of the minutes really had a major impact.”
Aldama said May has told him he is a good rebounder, not a great one.
“Dusty was saying I wasn’t that good. He was, ‘You’re good rebounding, not great.’ So, kind of talking some,” Aldama said. “But so I’m trying to prove him wrong every night, not just one night, every night. So, yeah, like I said, I just, wanting to play hard and get a win, and sometimes you crash and you don’t get the board.”
“So it’s not a, oh, you grab more or less rebounds. It’s just about crashing every time and getting more possessions,” Aldama continued. “And the more shots we take, the better chance we have at winning.”
Dallas also used Johnson, Aldama, Washington, and Flagg together in bigger lineups. Utah’s guards get confused against that group, Johnson said.
“I think we definitely win the rebounding battle. I think the guards, they get confused. They want to switch all, and we have mismatches down low,” Johnson said. “Yeah, I think that’s a very versatile group.”
Naji Marshall And The Bench Outscore Utah Jazz Reserves 44-19
Dallas’ bench outscored Utah’s 44-19. Johnson finished plus-20, and Marshall and Aldama were each plus-17.
Marshall had 7 points and 5 assists in 24 minutes, 56 seconds. He set up Flagg’s cutting dunk and Johnson’s alley-oop in the third quarter, then turned a Washington steal into a fast-break dunk with 4:07 left that made it 109-94. Marshall had played in five of Dallas’ first eight games, missing time with an illness.
Since Marshall came back from his illness, May said, he has looked like he is in much better shape and has played longer spurts.
“I thought his tenacity, his on-ball pressure, that gave us a little bit of ignition, and during that stretch when we were playing well, he had a lot of life, and man, he’s a great teammate,” May said. “He makes everyone around him better. And now also since he’s back from his illness, he looks like he’s in much better shape, and he’s playing longer spurts, and up until then, he didn’t look tired at all.”
Clayton scored 12 points with 4 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals, and 4 turnovers in 22 minutes, 33 seconds. He had 7 points and both of his steals in the second quarter. Utah traded Clayton to Memphis on Feb. 3 in the deal that sent Jaren Jackson Jr. to the Jazz, and Dallas signed Clayton to a two-way contract on Oct. 21.
Zaccharie Risacher had 4 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks off the bench. Gafford scored 7 points on 2-of-2 shooting with 2 blocks. Caleb Martin started and went scoreless in 11 minutes, 24 seconds. Christie, who returned after sitting out Wednesday’s loss in San Antonio, had 1 rebound and 1 assist in 8 minutes, 34 seconds.
Dereck Lively II (right foot surgery), Sergio De Larrea (right knee sprain), and Tarik Biberović (right heel bursitis) were out for Dallas.
Lauri Markkanen Makes 8 3-Pointers For The Jazz
Markkanen led Utah with 24 points and 8 rebounds. All 8 of his field goals were 3-pointers, and he went 8-of-15 from beyond the arc and 0-of-5 inside it.
Peterson, the second overall pick in June, scored 21 points with 5 assists and 3 blocks. He had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, when he went 6-of-6 at the free-throw line. George had 16 points, 9 assists, and 5 turnovers, and Bailey and Okogie scored 12 points apiece.
Utah shot 43.9% from the field and 38.5% from 3-point range. It committed 21 turnovers, which Dallas turned into 18 points. Jackson (torn right MCL) and Jusuf Nurkić (right second plantar plate tear) were out for the Jazz.
According to play-type tracking data, Utah scored 1.290 points per possession out of pick-and-roll ball-handler plays on 31 possessions. Dallas scored 0.714 on 42.
Markkanen is over 7 feet and can shoot on the move, May said. Dallas’ switching was crisper against him in the second half than in the first.
“They run good stuff for him. He’s seven. He’s over seven feet. He’s got a quick trigger. He can shoot it. He’s not a stationary shooter. He can shoot it on the move,” May said. “He’s a veteran player. He’s done this at a high level for a long time, so someone like that demands a lot of attention.”
“In the second half, our switching was a lot crisper than it was in the first half, but they had a good scheme to get him good looks,” May noted.
Utah has a lot of shifty guards, Aldama said, and Dallas switched all night.
“They have a lot of versatile guys, big guys. Markkanen, obviously, seven-footer, they can shoot the ball. He made like eight threes, something like that. So it’s very hard to contest, and he’s a threat all the time,” Aldama said. “They have a lot of shifty guards, so I think us just switching all the time, trusting our teammates being in the right positions is something that helped us.”
“But yeah, they have a really good team, so I don’t think the record shows it, but they have a very good team,” Aldama continued.
Mavericks Move To 2-0 In NBA Cup Group Play
Dallas opened NBA Cup play with a 116-111 home win over the Houston Rockets on Oct. 30. West Group A also includes Utah, the Denver Nuggets, and the Phoenix Suns. Each team plays four group games.
The Cup has given Dallas a little extra motivation, Flagg said.
“Obviously, I think with the Cup, it’s given you a little bit of that extra motivation, playing for extra little something,” Flagg said. “So I think just effort that we’ve shown, obviously in the Rockets game and then tonight, just coming out and playing with a little bit extra energy is, I think it’s been good.”
Up Next
Dallas hosts the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at American Airlines Center, with tip-off set for 6:30 p.m. CT. The Mavericks host the Indiana Pacers on Monday.
Utah plays at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. The Mavericks and Jazz meet again Nov. 22 in Salt Lake City.
