Mavericks Pull Away From Jazz for NBA Cup Win

The Mavericks turned a tied game into a comfortable home win, outscoring the Jazz by 12 after halftime. Dallas moved to 2-0 in NBA Cup group play, while Utah fell to 1-8 and extended its losing streak to seven games.

P.J. Washington led Dallas with a season-best 26 points, including 22 before halftime, and grabbed six rebounds. His scoring helped the Mavericks reach the break at 57-57 despite slow starts from Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. Washington made five of his six first-half three-point attempts, then hit another in the fourth quarter.

Flagg scored 17 of his 21 points after halftime and finished with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Irving added 14 points, with all but two coming after the break. Their scoring helped fuel a 22-10 run late in the third quarter that put Dallas ahead 81-70. Morez Johnson Jr. contributed 13 points and 17 rebounds for his first double-double.

Santi Aldama returned from right knee surgery and made his first appearance since February 4 of last season. He had eight points and nine rebounds in about 13 minutes. Utah’s Lauri Markkanen scored 24 points, while rookie Darryn Peterson had 21, including the Jazz’s first 12 points of the fourth quarter.

Utah visits Minnesota on Sunday, and Dallas hosts Brooklyn that day.