Jalen Brunson, Mavericks beat Jazz 126-118 to take 2-1 series lead

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Jalen Brunson was lying flat and still, watching his Dallas teammates build a 17-point lead before halftime on the monitor in the locker room.

"I saw how hard the team was playing when I was laying back there," Brunson said. "It gave me a little mojo to come back out there and do my thing."

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Brunson scored 31 points playing with a bruised back and the Mavericks — without the injured Luka Doncic — beat the Utah Jazz 126-118 on Thursday night to take a 2-1 lead in the first-round playoff series.

"We’re all on the same page," Brunson said. "We’re all clicking. We’re all talking and communicating."

Dallas coach Jason Kidd isn’t satisfied with the road win and the series advantage.

"I just told the guys we haven’t done anything," Kidd said. "They won at our place and now we won here. We need to put this game behind us and figure out what we need to do better."

Dallas Mavericks guard Jalen Brunson (13) goes to the basket as Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson (00) defends in the first half of Game 3 of an NBA basketball first-round playoff series, Thursday, April 21, 2022, in Salt Lake City.  (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)

It’s hard to imagine the Mavericks playing much better without Doncic and hope to have him back for the next game.

Spencer Dinwiddie scored 10 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter for Dallas, Maxi Kleber had 17 points and Dorian Finney-Smith added 14 points, hitting a 3-pointer with 1:56 left for a 10-point lead.

Doncic has missed all three of the games in the series with a strained calf, with signs pointing to his return for Game 4 on Saturday in Salt Lake City.

Donovan Mitchell scored