Kyrie Irving leads the Luka-less Mavericks against the cold-shooting Jazz

SALT LAKE CITY – In theory, things should have been a little easier for the Utah Jazz on Saturday. Dallas ultimately had to do without perennial All-Star Luka Doncic.

But for Will Hardy it wasn’t that easy.

“I’m just as afraid of Kyrie (Irving) as I am of Luka,” the Jazz head coach said before the game.

He had good reasons for this.

Irving scored 30 points and had nine assists as the Mavericks defeated the Jazz 106-94 on Saturday at the Delta Center.

Irving returned to the game with 7:25 left and the Mavericks maintained a 5-point lead; and it wasn’t long before Dallas was firmly in control. He immediately hit a three-pointer, stole the ball in quick succession and provided an assist from behind.

Dallas’ lead was double digits again.

Irving’s run halted the Jazz’s steady comeback attempt. Utah fell behind by 20 points in the first quarter as the Mavericks made nine 3-pointers in the first quarter. When the shooting died down, the Jazz took the lead (they only managed six the rest of the way); However, the home team never managed to overcome the hurdle.

Utah shot just 36% from the field and 23% from 3-point range, numbers that make it difficult to complete a comeback.

Walker Kessler had 18 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks as he continued to be used as more of a roll threat. Lauri Markkanen, who gave birth to a baby girl Wednesday night, scored 19 points for Utah.

This story will be updated.