DALLAS — After back-to-back games with a high-flying offense soaring in the stratosphere, the Utah Jazz came back to Earth Thursday night.
The landing hurt.
The Jazz blew a 21-point lead and a four-point lead with 20 seconds remaining en route to a painful 112-105 overtime loss to the Dallas Mavericks at the American Airlines Center.
Dirk Nowitzki — of course, it was Nowitzki! — sent the game into overtime with an offensive rebound and a game-tying jumper with 2.5 seconds remaining. After that, the Mavericks dominated the extra session to snap Utah’s four-game winning streak.
“I felt like we played well up to a point tonight and then we just didn’t,” Jazz coach Quin Snyder said. “We just weren’t smart and we didn’t maintain our focus and Dallas, they’ve done that. They do that. They’re a good team.”
Utah seemed to have withstood the Mavericks’ strong second-half surge, taking a four-point lead with 21.4 seconds remaining after consecutive dunks by Rudy Gobert. The second slam came after Joe Johnson made a sweet steal, leading to a fast break that seemed like it should’ve zapped the will out of the Mavs.
It didn’t.
Harrison Barnes, who scored 31 points, quickly got two points back with a layup at the 19.9-second mark.
Not having George Hill, who was out for rest and because of his sore left big toe, came back to haunt the Jazz after that. Following Barnes’ basket, Utah couldn’t advance the ball and Devin Harris forced a turnover by reaching and tipping the ball off of Alec Burks' hand with 15 seconds left.
The Mavs made the Jazz pay.
Barnes missed a jumper, but Nowitzki grabbed the rebound and drilled his game-tying shot.
Gordon Hayward, who scored a season-high 36, missed a desperation corner 3 on a last-chance play that didn’t develop.
Harris put Dallas ahead for good with a couple of buckets early in overtime, and it was clear that Utah didn’t have it after playing so brilliantly through two and a half quarters.
The Jazz, who return home Saturday against Boston, looked like they were on their way to a third straight blowout win after Hayward’s alley-oop layup from Gobert put them up 71-50 midway through the third quarter.
That simply set the stage for a riveting rally by Dallas.
“There’s a lot of things we can look at if it doesn’t happen we win the game,” Gobert lamented. “I think we should have kept playing defense and don’t give them life earlier.”
Utah, already without Hill and Rodney Hood (knee), was forced to play without Gobert for the final 21.4 seconds after The Stifle Tower was called for a foul while jostling for position with Nowitzki on an inbound pass.
Nowitzki missed the free throw, but Dallas then scored as it was awarded the ball because the foul happened before the clock started.
“It’s tough, you know,” Gobert said. “My sixth foul was a stupid foul. It’s tough.”
Nowitzki finished with 20 points, including the clutch shot.
“He’s done that so many times. You’d like to keep it out of his hands,” Snyder said. “You try to deny Dirk because if he gets it he’s hard to guard.”
Seth Curry scored 16 and ex-Jazz guard Wesley Matthews added 15 points, six rebounds and five assists for Dallas, which improved to 21-32. Deron Williams didn’t play because of a sprained left big toe.
The Jazz, who walloped Atlanta 120-95 and crushed New Orleans 127-94, dropped to 34-20.
Gobert finished with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Joe Ingles was hot in the first half, when he hit four 3-pointers, and ended with 16 points, and Burks added 12 points.
Derrick Favors had a rough night with just six points on 2-of-9 shooting and 10 rebounds.
Utah had 21 turnovers, including five by Gobert, four by Dante Exum and Johnson, and three by Boris Diaw.
“We were playing well and they started driving us on the defensive end, getting to the rim,” Snyder said. “We were careless. We turned the ball over.”
EMAIL: jody@desnews.com
TWITTER: DJJazzyJody