The beginning of 2010 was the last time the Utah Jazz
won in Dallas, and the end of that year was their most
recent winning streak of at least seven games.
While trying to remain one of the NBA's hottest teams,
the Jazz can simultaneously end both of those droughts
when they visit the Mavericks on Tuesday night.
The opening three months of the season brought mostly
headaches for Utah (25-25), but the Jazz have finally
found a rhythm with six straight wins - the league's
second longest current streak behind Golden State's nine.
Utah has its first winning streak of more than two games
this season to reach .500 for the first time since
mid-December - doing it in very Jazz-like fashion.
Opponents have averaged 85 points while shooting
40.7 percent with a 29.5 mark from 3-point range. The
defense has been there all season for the Jazz, who rank
toward the top of the league allowing 95.9 points per
game, but they have been especially stingy of late by
holding each of their last eight opponents to fewer
than 100 points.
Utah never trailed at Phoenix on Saturday and led by
as many as 23 points before holding on for a 98-89 victory,
its only road win during the streak to improve to 8-15
away from home.
It was also their third straight game holding an opponent
to fewer than 92 points which has resulted in a 21-0
record this season.
"I want us to be consistent," coach Quin Snyder said.
"(Saturday's) game was (what) a microcosm of the season
can look like where you play real well and then you don't
play so good. We have been playing well or better."
Though the Jazz have averaged 89 points the last three
games on 42.4 percent shooting, their defense has been
good enough to put them in position for their first
seven-game winning streak since Nov. 20-Dec. 1, 2010
- a run that was snapped with a 93-81 home loss to the
Mavericks two days later.
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That defeat started a stretch of 16 Dallas wins in the
last 20 games of this series, including nine of the last 10.
Utah has lost its last 10 games in Dallas since a win
on Jan. 9, 2010, and is 2-22 there dating to March 8, 2003
- including a 102-93 loss on Nov. 20.
Dallas (29-25) is 15-10 at home, though it lost two in a
row there as part of last week's three-game skid. The
Mavericks snapped the slump with Saturday's 114-110 overtime
victory at Memphis, scoring over 100 points for the first
time in six games.
Chandler Parsons followed up a six-point showing in Friday's
embarrassing 116-90 home loss to San Antonio with 26 on
10-of-15 shooting against the Grizzlies. Dallas scored just
26 points in the first half against the Spurs to follow
three consecutive games of shooting under 40 percent.
While Utah has a Wednesday game at New Orleans left
before the All-Star break, Dallas closes its first half
on Tuesday.
"It's important to get this game because it is the last
game and because we want to take some momentum into the
break," coach Rick Carlisle said at Monday's practice.
"But we're not thinking about the result, we're thinking
about the process."
上一次爵士在达拉斯带走胜利时已经是2010年初了，
不过现在他们正努力维持着成为NBA可怕的连胜队伍
之一，而他们正打算借由明天的比赛同时达成这两个
目的。
本季的前三个月，对爵士而言是个挣扎赛季，他们仅
仅拿下了25胜25败，但他们终于找回了节奏，维持着
目前联盟第二长的六连胜（话说我们好像也有六连胜
过？）ps:本季第一为勇士的九连胜。而这也是爵士本
季第一次超过二连胜。
上一季爵士的防守，让对手平均得到85分，40.7%的FG
和29.5%的三分命中率－－这是爵士的特色，本季他们
让对手平均得到95.9分，仍然属于联盟顶尖。
上一场对上太阳的比赛，爵士整场比赛从未落后，最大
领先达到23分，最后以98-89赢下比赛，虽然这也只让
他们的客场战绩达到8胜15败而已，但却是连续第三场
让对手得分低于92分的比赛。
爵士教练Quin Snyder：“我希望我们保持专注，对上
太阳的比赛就像是本季的缩影，我们知道我们哪里打得
好，哪里表现得不如预期，于是我们的表现渐入佳境。”
尽管前三场比赛爵士仅以42.4%的FG得到平均89分，他们
的防守仍然带领他们拿下这波连胜。
时间拉回2010，由击败爵士开始，小牛接下来对上爵士的
20场比赛中拿下了16场－最后10场中赢了9场－，而爵士
则在小牛主场的比赛中苦吞10连败。
小牛本季主场为15胜10败，虽然输掉了最近了连续三场主
场比赛中的前两场，不过在最后一场对上灰熊的比赛中拿
到了最近6场比赛中的首度破百（可是瑞凡，打延长赛）。
卡帅：“这场比赛非常重要，不只是因为这是明星赛前最
后一场比赛，更是因为我们想要带着胜利休息，然而我们
并不一味的追求结果，更重要的是过程。”