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SALT LAKE CITY — Dallas’ Dirk Nowitzki has always held the number for the Utah Jazz.
He’s been called a “Jazz killer”; been an antagonist in scores of battles between the franchises; and been seen as one of the all-time greats to ever grace the floor inside EnergySolutions Arena.
Nowitzki probably garnered one of his greatest personal accomplishments in Salt Lake City Wednesday against the Jazz, scoring a team-high 21 points while simultaneously passing Oscar Robertson for 10th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list, in a 95-83 Mavericks win over the Utah Jazz.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Nowitzki, who has scored 26,714 points in his career. “It kind of feels surreal, still. All night, I was trying not to think of it. I was trying to concentrate on the next shot. I knew how many points I needed, but I wasn’t trying to think about it.”
Nowitzki has long had a unique combination of skills, being a post player who is also a tremendous shooter. He made 9-of-11 field goals from the floor against the Jazz, leading Dallas to a first-quarter performance that saw the Mavericks shoot 94.1 percent from the field in the first quarter.
Jazz coach Ty Corbin said Nowitzki presents a unique set of challenges as a defender.
“He’s a difficult matchup because of his size,” he said. “He’s smart, knowing how to get open. The pressure that he puts on you to get to him early in transition (is unique) for a big guy.”
With Nowitzki setting his mark, it gave the chance for several players and coaches to pay tribute to him. Jazz guard Trey Burke said he has long been an admirer of Nowitzki’s talents.
“He’s a Hall-of-Famer, in my book,” he noted. “Every time you play against him, you’ve got to try and give him different looks. You know he is going to make some tough shots.”
Overall, Utah outscored Dallas over the course of the game’s final three quarters, but it was a 39-25 Mavericks first quarter lead that proved to be the deciding factor. Despite the early struggles, Corbin said the team focused more on defense as the game wore on.
“I thought we played better after the first quarter,” said Corbin, whose Jazz fall to 24-54. “Give them a lot of credit; they shot the ball extremely well. They didn’t seem like they were missing any shots in the first quarter. After that we did a better job of staying close to them. … I thought our guys, especially in the second half, were more focused on what we were trying to do.”
Several Jazz players were able to thrive in the game, specifically Enes Kanter and Jeremy Evans. Evans played a season-high in minutes, playing 32:17, while Kanter set a season-high mark with 19 rebounds.
Kanter said it was a fun night for him on the boards.
“I was trying to go out there and touch every ball,” said Kanter, who also scored 15 points. “That’s what I’ve been focusing on is rebounds, and the coaches have been telling me (what they want me to be) and that’s a more defensive-minded player. Just a low-post scorer that touches every rebound.”
Now, with just four games left on the schedule for the Jazz, improvement is the continued company line out of players and coaches.
Corbin said it’s important for the team’s young players to continue to focus on developing as professionals.
“We are trying to make things happen,” he said. “If we do make a mistake, try not to make it where they get an opportunity to get back and get a quick basket against us. That’s part of the learning process. It’s just making mistakes and trying to do something positive, and at times it's not working out for us.”
