NBA: Mavericks take 3-2 lead in Playoffs, Jazz survive with dim hope

Dallas Mavericks left behind Playoff rivals Utah Jazz by a large margin to win game 5 and take a 3-2 lead in the series. The game ended with a tally of 102-77 for the Dallas Mavericks.

Luka Doncic has had an impact on the Dallas Mavericks’ performance since he made his Playoff debut this year, pushing his team to victory both times. He had 33 points and 13 rebounds in his first home Playoff game coming off a calf injury.

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Utah Jazz, after performing well in the first two games in Playoff series 1, is now in a tough spot. The team faces the long odds of just 18% of teams winning a series after dropping the fifth game when the teams split the first four.

Jordan Clarkson scored 20 points and Rudy Gobert added 17 points and 11 rebounds in the lowest-scoring game for the Jazz since they lost by 50 at Dallas (118-68) on Nov. 14, 2018. They were 3 of 30 from 3-point range (10%) and shot 38% overall.

Donovan Mitchell, who averaged 30 points in the first four games, scored just nine and missed all seven of his 3-pointers before limping to the locker room holding the area around his left knee in the fourth quarter.

The exclamation point was in the third quarter, when Doncic hit consecutive 3s for a 74-46 lead, doing a shimmy in front of the fans to his left after the second one went in. The 23-year-old sensation swished another 3 for a 79-46 lead right after blocking Jordan Clarkson’s shot from deep.  

Also Read: NBA: Boston Celtics clear Playoff with clean sweep against Brooklyn Nets

Both teams also face tough odds of going deep into the tournament. This is the first time Mavericks are still in the competition after the season games since their championship win in 2011. 

Utah Jazz, on the other hand, is in the Playoffs for the sixth consecutive year but has been unable to go past the second round since.