The Utah Jazz kicked off 2024 with a home date against the Dallas Mavericks, and a New Year's Resolution to play better than the last time these teams met, a 50-point Jazz defeat nearly a month ago.
At the start, the teams traded baskets and most of the Jazz were not in sync, but Simone Fontecchio decided to take things into his own hands, netting 14 points in the first quarter to lead the Jazz to a 37-26 lead.
In the 2nd, the Jazz cooled off, missing 10 of 11 shots and the Mavericks took advantage to outscore the Jazz 29-25 to trail 62-55 at the half.
In the 3rd quarter, the Jazz re-established their lead and played better team ball, as Lauri Markkanen came alive with 11 points to lead the way for the Jazz.
Dallas had Jaden Hardy to keep things interesting, as he scored 12 in the quarter as the Jazz led 93-79 at the start of the 4th.
And then Jordan Clarkson, Keyonte George and Walker Kessler stepped it up.
The Jazz outscored Dallas 29-9 and opened up a 34-point lead over Dallas by the 3:40 mark (122-88) as the teams cleared the benches.
And just over a minute later, the Jazz got a big New Year's present as Jordan Clarkson got his 10th rebound, giving him a triple-double - the first in Jazz history since February 13, 2008 - by Carlos Boozer.
The Jazz completed the blowout win, 127-90. It is their 8th win in 11 games, to reach 15-19 on the season.
Simone Fontecchio led the way with 24 points, 6 rebounds and 2 steals for the Jazz.
Jordan Clarkson rebounded from a 3 minute, 3 turnover stretch in the 2nd to finish with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in 28 minutes off the bench to give the team a huge lift.
Walker Kessler finished with 11 points, 10 rebounds and 4 blocked shots, including 2 on Luka Doncic.
The Jazz had 37 assists on the night, and have stepped it up lately, with 30+ assists in 3 of their last 4 games. They also had 6 players in double figures for the 2nd game in a row.
Luka Doncic led Dallas with 19 points, 6 rebounds and 14 assists, but was hounded defensively by the Jazz into 6-20 shooting on the night.
The Jazz are now within 2 games of the play-in, and with the Lakers, Warriors, Rockets, and Grizzlies all struggling, they have a prime opportunity to keep moving up in the West, starting with Wednesday's game against the Detroit Pistons.