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SALT LAKE CITY (AP) — Dirk Nowitzki had 27 points and 10 rebounds to help the Dallas Mavericks coast to a 105-82 victory over the Utah Jazz on Friday night.
Tyson Chandler added 15 points and 13 rebounds, and Monta Ellis scored 13 as the Mavericks bounced back from a loss to Portland one night earlier. Nowitzki shot 11 of 18, including 5 for 8 from 3-point range.
Alec Burks led the Jazz with 14 points. Gordon Hayward had 12, and Trey Burke and Dante Exum added 11 apiece for Utah, which struggled on both ends of the court.
The Jazz committed 23 turnovers, and the Mavericks had a 32-9 advantage in points off turnovers. That kept Utah from ever threatening to get back into the game after halftime.
Dallas has built an identity around potent offense early in the season. The Mavericks turned to tough defense to take control in the first half.
Utah struggled to create a sustained offensive rhythm from the start. Dallas forced eight turnovers in the first quarter and scored 13 points off those miscues. The Jazz also missed eight of their first 12 shots from the field as the Mavericks got off to a strong start.
Nowitzki drained a 3-pointer — the last of four baskets in five possessions for Dallas — to spark an 11-2 run that gave the Mavericks a 22-10 lead with 2:46 left in the first. Utah got on track late in the quarter and cut the deficit to 24-23 early in the second.
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Once the Jazz made it a one-possession game, Nowitzki went to work again. He scored three baskets and fed Chandler for another layup to fuel a 15-2 spurt that put the Mavericks up 39-25.
Utah rallied a second time, cutting it to five on back-to-back 3s from Hayward and Burke. But Nowitzki hit another 3-pointer and Chandler scored on a dunk less than a minute later to put Dallas back ahead by double digits at 45-34.
The Mavericks solidified their control after halftime by scoring nine unanswered points to open the third quarter. Chandler Parsons capped the run with a pair of free throws to give Dallas a 61-44 lead.
Nowitzki hit another 3-pointer to cap a run of baskets on three straight possessions that pushed the Mavericks to an 85-62 lead early in the fourth.
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TIP-INS
Mavericks: Dallas has won seven consecutive regular-season games against the Jazz. The Mavericks went 4-0 vs. Utah last season and have won three straight in Salt Lake City. . Nowitzki is tearing it up through the Mavericks' first six games. He is averaging a team-best 21.2 points while shooting 54.4 percent from the field — including 44.8 percent from 3-point range.
Jazz: Two weeks after claiming Jordan Hamilton off waivers, the Jazz parted ways with the forward. Utah placed Hamilton on waivers Thursday. The 6-foot-7 forward, in his fifth season out of Texas, was inactive for each of the team's first five games. ... Utah struggled from the perimeter early in the game. The Jazz started 0 for 10 from 3-point range before Hayward broke the ice midway through the second quarter. They finished shooting 32.1 percent (9 of 28) from outside the arc.
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UP NEXT
The Mavericks host Miami on Sunday.
The Jazz visit Detroit on Sunday.
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