The Utah Jazz will have their rematch against the Dallas Mavericks. Weeks after having their surprise victory over the Western Conference champions, the Jazz will face their opponent undermanned, as the Mavericks will be without one of their most pivotal players.
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd confirmed that Luka Doncic will not play against the Jazz, per The Salt Lake Tribune's Andy Larsen.
Luka Doncic out tonight, Jason Kidd says.
— Andy Larsen (@andyblarsen) December 1, 2024
Doncic has not played since November 19. It appears he is on the verge of coming back to play for the Mavericks. It just won't be tonight.
But will this be good for the Jazz?
One of the primary reasons why the Jazz beat the Mavericks so easily was because of how easily they could tear through Doncic as a defender. It was downright comical how bad he was down the stretch on that end of the floor.
“Luka’s iso defense is amazing”. Nah, he’s lazy as hell and deserves all the criticism he’s receiving. We know he’s great offensively. But this is pathetic.
— Glen (@Glenjr1988) November 15, 2024
pic.twitter.com/aW6ZACitdn https://t.co/uCkI3sy8F9
The Mavericks have actually fared well in light of Doncic's absence, thanks in part to Kyrie Irving compensating for what Luka would do when he takes the floor. So the question will be, is Luka's absence going to be good for the Jazz?
Everything is going swimmingly with the Jazz's intentions to tank the season for a higher pick. Winning games only gets in the way of their plans, so since Dallas has been playing well without Luka, it's a good thing he's out because of how detrimental he was to Dallas the last time the Mavericks and Jazz faced off.
Dallas will come into their matchup against the Jazz with every intention to win despite not having Luka's presence on the floor. They are 11-8, which puts them as the No. 7 seed in the Western Conference, and want to prove that their success last season was not lightning in a bottle.
Expect them to not take the Jazz lightly, especially knowing what happened in their last matchup. The Jazz are dealing with some injuries of their own, but as twisted as it sounds, Luka's absence in this game may help the Jazz get the loss they want.
However, on that subject, Luka's regression on defense after their surprise run to the NBA Finals shows the potential issue with tanking for a franchise player in the draft. As good as Luka is, his defense continues to be a pressing concern.
The Jazz obviously want someone as impactful as Luka, but his red flags are clear as day, which is why the Jazz need not just a franchise player but the right franchise player.