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Mavericks welcome Jazz to Big D

Feb 7, 2014 - 3:33 PM (SportsNetwork.com) - The Dallas Mavericks will be in search of a fourth consecutive win Friday night when they host the Utah Jazz at American Airlines Center.

Dallas hasn't lost since Jan. 29 and it has won two straight at home and four of its last five overall.

The Mavs' last victory came Wednesday night as Dirk Nowitzki scored a game- high 26 points, and the Mavericks used a strong second half to surge past the Memphis Grizzlies, 110-96, at FedExForum.

Brandan Wright tallied 17 points off the bench, while Samuel Dalembert and Monta Ellis each supplied 14 points for the Mavericks. Vince Carter chipped in 13 in a reserve role.

Both teams shot over 50 percent from the floor, but the difference came in the paint, where Dallas outscored Memphis by a 56-32 margin.

"To get 50 points in the paint on them is impressive," Nowitzki said. "It means we were driving the ball and we were sharing. Anytime we hold our own on the boards and almost double them on the points in the paint, that's a fantastic job for us."

After the Mavs host Utah, they hit the road for three straight before the All- Star break. Dallas will visit the Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats and Indiana Pacers on its trip.

The Jazz are going in the other direction, the losers of three straight, including two at home. Utah has dropped its last two decisions as the visitor and averaged 85.3 points per game during this slide.

The Jazz lost the first two games of this rut to the Golden State Warriors and at the Los Angeles Clippers. On Monday, the streak reached three thanks to a 94-79 drubbing in Salt Lake City at the hands of the Toronto Raptors.

Marvin Williams scored 23 points to lead the Jazz and Alec Burks chipped in 20 off the bench for Utah. Enes Kanter managed 10 points in just under 20 minutes.

The Jazz starting backcourt of Trey Burke, who was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January, and Gordon Hayward scored a combined 16 points on 7-of-25 shooting.

"It'll turn if both of those guys keep working," said Jazz coach Tyrone Corbin in regards to the struggles of Burke and Hayward. "They can help us in other ways than just scoring."

The Mavs won this season's first matchup with Utah, a 10-point victory in Dallas on Nov. 22. Dallas has won two straight over the Jazz and six in a row as the host in this series.