The Dallas Mavericks lost 115-113 to the Utah Jazz on Thursday evening. John Collins ate up the Mavericks, scoring 28 points and grabbing nine rebounds. Luka Doncic scored 37 points for Dallas, but also gave up the winning basket after a defensive error.

With Kyrie Irving missing the game due to a shoulder problem, head coach Jason Kidd opted to shake up his starting unit by bringing in Dereck Lively, Maxi Kleber and Quentin Grimes to play alongside Luka and Klay Thompson. After a decent start by the Mavericks, including a pair of Doncic step-back threes, Kidd played a bizarre two-big lineup with Dwight Powell and Daniel Gafford, leaving the Jazz hanging around. Turnovers plagued Dallas in the first (they had seven), but hot shots from three kept the Mavericks ahead. Dallas led 28-27 after twelve minutes of play.

The Mavericks’ sleepy defense allowed the Jazz to jump out to their first lead of the game. Lively picked up his third foul of the game early in the quarter (in just seven minutes total). The two teams traded baskets for the remainder of the frame, but neither could pull away. Utah led by as many as six before Dallas finally put together some to regain the lead. But the Mavericks couldn’t defend or rebound and the Jazz hung around. The Mavericks led 64-61 at halftime.

Dallas slowly fell apart at the seams in the third. Lively picked up his fourth and fifth fouls, forcing Kidd to go to strange bench formations again. Utah scored twenty points in the first six minutes to take an eight-point lead. Daniel Gafford returned to the locker room during the run with some sort of injury, leaving Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber as the only bigs. A catch-and-shoot three from Luka Doncic pulled the Mavericks back within three minutes, but after a Jazz timeout, Utah went ahead and extended their lead to 12. Utah poured in 38 in the frame to take a lead from 99-85 in the fourth.

The Utah lead grew to sixteen and it looked like the Mavericks were ready to take the lead. And then, little by little, Dallas worked its way back into the game. Utah started missing shots, Dallas started playing with purpose and with 4:14 to go, Dallas trailed by three minutes. A Doncic bomb from the right wing tied the score at 108. Dallas took the lead on a great opener from Doncic to Lively, but the Mavericks gave the lead back by fouling Jordan Clarkson at the rim. John Collins gave the Jazz a three-point lead on a putback and Klay tied the game after a Dallas timeout with a clutch three. On the ensuing play, Doncic lost Collins, who slid to the basket for the game-winning shot. Dallas got one more look with a kickout three for Marshall, but he didn’t make it. The Mavericks fall to 5-7 after losing at Utah, 115-113.

Now some thoughts:

What are we doing here guys?

An optimist might say that the Dallas Mavericks have lost their last four games by a combined eight points. An optimist would nonsense and lie about seeing these four games. This one in particular sticks in my head. But I’m not so much angry as disappointed. I mean, look at this:

You can see it happening right before it happens. Doncic is flat-footed, can’t see the ball or his man, his eyes are focused on the corner play and his man (yes, let’s be clear, it’s his man, as people have argued with me about this) slides into the basket for easy play.

It’s inexcusable, but also shockingly common among these Mavericks. Luka will make headlines with his stumpy play and consistently atrocious body language, but the Mavericks played like an out-of-match team for the 11th time in 12 games. They just looked awake and coherent against a reeling Orlando team. Every other game has a plethora of mental errors and uninspiring play, and every fan who tunes in should demand more.

Of course things will get better, there is too much talent on this team for this to completely collapse. But they need to start playing with some urgency. No one cares that they have now gone to the NBA Finals and honestly, these performances give rise to the idea that the Mavericks got lucky. Everyone from the boorish head coach to the pouting superstar to the second-year center who is too big for his box, everyone on the roster except Kyrie Irving, needs to look in the mirror and demand more of themselves and each other. It’s time to get it together guys, you’re embarrassing us.