Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 113-97

The Dallas Mavericks defeated the Utah Jazz 113-97 on Thursday night to secure the sixth and final guaranteed postseason spot in the Western Conference. Luka Doncic scored 34 points, pulled down nine rebounds, and provided eight assists.

With their third straight win and seventh in eight games, Dallas increased its record to 41-29. Sacramento and Phoenix, who played Atlanta at home on Thursday night in a late game, were now one and a half games behind the Mavericks. Sacramento had a loss earlier on Thursday at Washington. Doncic played four minutes in the fourth quarter without grabbing a rebound or dishing up an assist. He made 11 of 23 free throws, including 4 of 10 on threes. With his best performance since being acquired in early February, Daniel Gafford contributed 24 points.