Lauri Markkanen made eight three-pointers and scored 24 points, yet Utah still left Dallas with a 112–100 defeat on Friday, 6 November. That's the uncomfortable contrast for the Jazz: their leading scorer found a remarkably productive perimeter rhythm, but the Mavericks controlled enough of the rest of the floor to turn a level game at half-time into a convincing NBA Cup win.
Markkanen's eight makes came on 15 attempts from beyond the arc. He finished 8-of-20 overall, with eight rebounds in 34 minutes. The unusual shape of that shooting line matters: every one of his made field goals was a three. Utah had a reliable source of long-range points, but didn't turn it into the variety of scoring chances needed to keep Dallas under pressure. The official Jazz box score records both the volume and the efficiency.
The game was tied 57–57 at half-time after Utah scored 28 in the first quarter and 29 in the second. Dallas then won the third period 32–19. That 13-point swing, rather than any late collapse, was the decisive separation. The NBA game summary shows Dallas taking a 12-point advantage into the final quarter and holding on despite Utah edging the last period 24–23.
Dallas had more ways to manufacture points. P.J. Washington scored 26 and hit six of his ten three-point attempts; Cooper Flagg added 21 points, ten rebounds and seven assists. Morez Johnson Jr. supplied 17 rebounds, giving the Mavericks a major physical contribution alongside their outside shooting. Utah could match isolated bursts of shot-making, but Dallas were stronger at turning possessions into different types of opportunities.
The team comparison makes that distinction especially clear. Dallas outscored Utah 48–36 in the paint and 44–19 from the bench. The Jazz also committed 21 turnovers to the Mavericks' 15, while Dallas converted turnovers into 18 points against Utah's 12. These weren't cosmetic gaps. They gave Dallas routes to points when its perimeter offence cooled and made Markkanen's shooting display less influential on the result.
Utah's challenge isn't to ask Markkanen to stop taking the threes that are falling. It's to make those shots part of a broader attack: sharper decisions after defensive attention shifts towards him, more productive interior possessions and fewer empty trips. The NBA's game breakdown also identifies the decisive Dallas run across the second half, underscoring how quickly Utah's offence lost control of the contest.
For Dallas, the win moved its NBA Cup group record to 2–0 and ended a two-game losing streak. For Utah, the 100-point return was a reminder that spectacular individual accuracy doesn't automatically produce a balanced team offence. Markkanen gave the Jazz a clear weapon; the Mavericks showed why a winning side needs several.
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