The Dallas Mavericks (5-7) are currently locked in NBA Hell after their fourth straight clutch loss, this time to the Utah Jazz (3-8) at the Delta Center, 115-113. A furious Dallas comeback attempt in the fourth quarter was comically challenged by poor body language from the previous three quarters and even worse defense and rebounding.

The lineups head coach Jason Kidd tinkered with early on were ridiculous, and without the steady hand of Kyrie Irving in the lineup, the shorthanded Mavericks sputtered, found it, sputtered again, came back, then collapsed in the final minutes of the game after they had scored a goal. 25-7 run in failed fourth quarter comeback.

There were some good individual contributions along the way, but the Dallas effort Thursday in Salt Lake City looked more like a collection of shiny parts than a finished product. Here’s how the Mavs score in their latest fart-and-fall-down loss.

Luka Doncic: C+

37 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds

Dončić’s three-pointer came early, a welcome sight after the team’s less-than-spectacular 5-6 start. He went 2-for-3 from deep in the first quarter before missing all four of his three-point attempts in the second quarter. He made the adjustment as his jumper cooled down, turning himself into a battering ram on the way to the bucket for a few driving scores and drive-and-kicks.

Dončić provided the necessary spark after Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford left for the locker room in the third quarter. Gafford apparently had an injury and Lively had just picked up his fifth foul when he was spotted passing through the tunnel. Gafford returned with just over three minutes to play in the third, while Lively returned in the fourth. Dončić hit a floating banker with 6:28 left in the third, then hit a long 3-ball the next time to pull the Mavs within 81-78 and force a Utah timeout.

In the fourth, as the Mavericks stormed back from what had ballooned to a 16-point Utah lead, Dončić hit a 3-pointer with Kyle Filipowski’s hand in his face to tie the game, 108–108, with 2 :15 to go. found Dereck Lively II on a lob next time to take a brief lead before the Jazz closed out the game in the final two minutes.

But I mean, losing John Collins for an easy game-winning dunk while he was flat-footed on defense with six seconds left is simply inexcusable, and it’s indicative of a certain level of pouting that our resident supernova requires much more on tape than he should.

Klay Thompson: B+

17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Klay Thompson threw it in for a second straight game where the Mavericks needed everything he could give them. Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the game and his second of the second quarter pulled the lethargic Mavericks back in front, 47-45 with 4:45 to go before halftime. His fourth came in transition on a perfect lead pass from Dončić that gave the Mavs a 61-55 lead two minutes into the third.

Naji Marshall: A

19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals

Marshall had a big game and this seems very repeatable. He converted a tough drive through the lane with a double pump through contact over Filipowski with four minutes left in the second. After completing the three-point play, the Mavs led 50-47 and showed signs of life again to close out the first half. He passed Filipowski again with 1:45 left for a lay-in that put the Mavs back in front, 56-55. His aggressiveness in getting to the hoop brought a welcome sense of balance to the attack, with Dončić, Thompson and Grimes attacking mainly along the perimeter.

He played well in the two-man game alongside Dončić in the second half, knocking down floaters, getting to the basket and even showing some playmaking skills in the defeat. He picked Keyonte George’s pocket at the rim and converted the contested layup in transition to bring the Mavs within five, trailing 106-103, with 4:14 to play.

Daniel Gafford: C+

10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots

Gafford came off the bench against the Jazz, but he had to leave early in the third quarter after slipping while jostling for an offensive rebound. You could see him walking gingerly to the locker room with about eight minutes left in the third. He came back late in the third, so whatever happened shouldn’t have been too serious.

Dereck Lively: D+

5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocked shots

Lively got the start in place of Gafford in Utah, but foul trouble kept him from making his mark in the first half. He nailed two quick blocked shots, including an impressive stop against Collins inside with 7:50 left in the first quarter. He was physical on both ends of the floor, but maybe a little aggressive. He committed two quick fouls in the first and picked up his third early in the second quarter, giving him three in just over six minutes on the floor in the first half.

He fouled Filipowski inside with 10:45 to go in the third, then fouled Lauri Markkanen on a three-point play deep in the lane a minute or so later, and he was essentially in the lineup for the rest of the evening. prison. He went to the locker room after his fifth foul, but returned in the fourth.

In his absence, Collins, the longtime Mavs killer, poured in 28 points for Utah.

Quentin Grimes: A-

15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds

With Kyrie Irving suffering a shoulder injury against the Jazz, the Mavericks relied more on Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie for key minutes. Grimes stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up for the Mavs in the first quarter. His jumper looked smooth and he hit two big three-pointers as the quarter progressed and Dallas held on to its early lead.

He hit his third on a nice drive-and-kick from Naji Marshall with 5:20 left in the second to pull the Mavs back to within one, trailing just 45-44, before completing a tricky three-point play through Jordan Clarkson on an assist from Dončić with a minute left before halftime.

It’s been a puzzle for Grimes to start the season and get inconsistent minutes through the first twelve games of the season, but here’s a little bit of trivia (overheard in the Mavs Moneyball Slack channel) that hopefully points in the direction of the addition of free agents who are Way into the Mavericks rotation: Grimes scored 15 points and four assists in the first half on Thursday. Josh Green, whose position in the lineup Grimes more or less took over, recorded just seven games of 15 points and four assists in his 223 games in a Mavericks uniform.

Grimes didn’t have much of an impact in the second half, when he was held scoreless as he was in the first.

Spencer Dinwiddie: D+

0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Dinwiddie entered for the first time late in the first quarter and immediately committed two turnovers in his first 1:45 of playing time. With Grimes fitting into the rotation as effectively as he did, Dinwiddie only saw about five more minutes on the floor in the first half. He came back midway through the third and promptly threw a pass behind a cutting Dwight Powell, who was charged for the turnover when it landed low in Collins’ hands, but it took two to dance that bone-headed tango.

Jaden Hardy: B

7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

There was a really nice highlight reel over Keyonte George with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter, but since it happened in the middle of the Jazz’s 25-7 run, we can’t give Hardy much extra credit for his high-flying exclamation point. He provided a little lift with his 3-point play in transition after an assist from Marshall that pulled the Mavs to 101-92 with 9:52 to play.