The buzzards were circling. The naysayers had the shovels out, ready to start the burial.
Then, Jalen Brunson happened. And Maxi Kleber happened. And the Mavericks suddenly have been removed from the endangered list and have sent national talk shows into a tizzy talking about the frailties of the Utah Jazz instead of the Mavericks’ vulnerability without Luka Donu010diu0107.
The Mavericks evened the first-round playoff series against Utah at a win apiece with their manly 110-104 victory in Game 2 on Monday night. It’s now a best-of-five with Utah owning the home-court advantage.
And, yes, the Mavericks have been incapable of winning at the Jazz’s home arena since April 11, 2016, when Dirk Nowitzki, Deron Williams, Raymond Felton and Salah Mejri led the Mavericks to a 101-92 victory.