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With Luka Doncic sidelined with a calf injury, the Dallas Mavericks needed their supporting cast to move up in their first-round series with the Utah Jazz. In Game 2 on Monday night, Jalen Brunson did that and more, scoring a career-high 41 points to lead the Mavs to a massive win that tied the series 1-1.
Brunson brought that momentum into Game 3 Thursday night in Salt Lake City when he finished with 31 points and five assists to lead the Mavericks to a 126-118 win and a 2-1 lead in the series. Unfortunately, his night wasn’t perfect. Things took a painful turn midway through the second quarter.
With five minutes left in the quarter, the Jazz grounded the ball and Mike Conley played a pick and roll with Rudy Gobert. After getting some space, Conley launched a 3 that hit nothing but the bottom of the net. It seemed like a pretty standard game and should have been. But once the ball was airborne, Brunson turned to box Royce O’Neale, who rushed in and sprawled Brunson backwards with a hard punch.
Here’s an overhead replay of the incident:
Brunson stayed down for a short time, grabbing his lower back as he finally got to his feet. He initially tried to stay in the game but was too limping and committed a foul to stop play. He was also hit with a technical foul for complaining that O’Neale hadn’t requested anything.
“Royce just elbowed me in the back and that was it.” said Brunon. “I’ve said what I have to say. It’s over. With a win everything feels good.”
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After leaving the game, Brunson went straight to the dressing room for further evaluation. Luckily he was able to return after the break and apparently escaped any serious injury. This is great news for the Mavericks as they can’t afford to lose another key contributor.