Knowing that their season was on the line, the Utah Jazz stepped up in a big way to win Game 4 100-99 and tie up their first-round series against the Dallas Mavericks 2-2.
It was a total team effort in Game 4 but Utah's defense was a key factor in their victory.
For most of the series, the Jazz have looked essentially lost on defense. The Mavs' small ball lineups would just routinely cook the perimeter defenders of the Jazz, getting buckets at the rim on drive after drive. That wasn't the case in Game 4.
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Utah's defense rose to the occasion. They played harder and tougher than they've all series. The Jazz's defense just swarmed the Mavs by contesting shots, forcing the ball to rotate and making life difficult for Dallas' potent offense. Thanks to Utah's renewed defensive effort, the Mavs shot 42.9 percent from the field.
Rudy Gobert though, was Utah's savior.
The All-Star center came up clutch by throwing down the game-winning oop from Donovan Mitchell in the closing seconds.
DONOVAN MITCHELL LOBS IT UP TO RUDY GOBERT FOR THE @utahjazz WIN!!! pic.twitter.com/2kBrp8Vzkn
— NBA (@NBA) April 23, 2022
But it wasn't just that one play. Gobert made an uncharacteristic impact offensively, finishing with 17 points and getting to the free-throw line 18 times. He also pulled down 15 rebounds, 10 of which were on the offensive end.
Utah also got an excellent performance from Jordan Clarkson, who had his best game of the series with 25 points off the bench. Donovan Mitchell didn't shoot the ball great (7-of-21) but had 23 points and made the game-winning pass to Gobert.
Dallas meanwhile will look to bounce back from the loss in Game 5 on Monday. The good news for Dallas is that Luka Doncic is back and showed no signs of rust after being sidelined with a calf injury. Doncic finished Game 4 with 30 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.
Can Dallas win at home now that Doncic is back or will Utah continue to play together and pick up another win?
Here's what you need to know ahead of Game 5.
How to watch Mavericks vs. Jazz: NBA League Pass and television broadcast schedule
- Date: Monday, April 25 (ET)
- Streaming: NBA League Pass
You can watch Mavericks vs. Jazz on NBA League Pass outside of the United States.
For the television broadcast information in your country, click here and select your country from the dropdown menu.
Jazz vs. Mavericks Game 5 start time
- Date: Monday, April 25
- Start time: 9:30 p.m. ET | 6:30 p.m. PT
Jazz vs. Mavericks is scheduled to tip off shortly after 9:30 p.m. ET on Monday, April 23. The game will be played at American Airlines Center in Dallas.
Jazz vs. Mavericks schedule, TV channels
As the higher seed, Dallas was the home team in Games 1 and 2, while Utah hosted Games 3 and 4. Game 5 is in Dallas and Game 6 will be in Salt Lake City.
If required, Game 7 would be played in Dallas.
(All times Eastern)
| Date | Game | Time | National TV (US) |
| April 16 | Game 1: Jazz 99, Mavericks 93 | Final | ESPN |
| April 18 | Game 2: Mavericks 110, Jazz 104 | Final | NBA TV |
| April 21 | Game 3: Mavericks 126, Jazz 118 | Final | NBA TV |
| April 23 | Game 4: Jazz 100, Mavericks 99 | Final | TNT |
| April 25 | Game 5 | 9:30 p.m. | TNT |
| April 28 | Game 6 | TBD | TBD |
| April 30 | Game 7* | TBD | TBD |
*If necessary
