SALT LAKE CITY _ While the losses keep mounting for the Dallas Mavericks, including an agonizing one Friday night in Utah, the news on the injury front is rapidly improving.
Before they dropped a 103-100 decision to the Utah Jazz on Rodney Hood's 3-pointer with 0.8 seconds left, the Mavericks got word that J.J. Barea is planning to return to game action next week on the pre-Christmas road trip.
And Dirk Nowitzki may not be far behind.
Barea said before Friday's game that the month (16 games) since he suffered the injury in Boston has been arduous, but his leg has felt much better in recent days.
"It's doing great," he said. "I think next week I should be out there. We're going to do some full-court work on Sunday and hopefully after that I'll be back."
The Mavericks start a four-game trip on Monday at Denver.
The injury situation also is improving for Nowitzki, who is inching closer to a return, although coach Rick Carlisle said that no timetable for a return has been established. Nowitzki is hopeful that he will be back in game action before the first of the year. He was on the road with the Mavericks for the Utah trip _ usually a good sign that he is closing in on a return.
As for the night against the Jazz, the Mavericks had another miserable night rebounding the ball. And yet were still right there at the end.
With Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack leading the way, the Jazz went on an 11-2 blitz to go up 81-72. When Joe Johnson opened the fourth quarter with a jumper, the Jazz went up 92-77.
The Mavericks didn't wilt, however. They got within 97-91 and had several chances to get closer but could not capitalize. They finally got within 100-96 and had the ball with under 2 minutes left, and Seth Curry scored when he got around Gobert with 1:06 remaining.
They got a bucket from Harrison Barnes to tie it at 100 and then Deron Williams missed a 3-pointer that could have won it. The Jazz did not call timeout and got the ball quickly to Hood, who drilled the 3-pointer.
The Mavericks fell to 6-20, including 1-11 on the road.
The rebounding was awful. Two nights earlier, they were outrebounded 29-9 in the first half by the Detroit Pistons. The Jazz won the board game 22-8 in the first half, which made it a bit on the remarkable side that the Mavericks were only down 64-58 at the break.
Utah had hit 65-percent of its shots in the half and Rudy Gobert had as many offensive rebounds, three, as all of the Mavericks did combined.
Somehow, the Mavericks were hanging tough and they got a boost from A.J. Hammons, the 7-foot rookie, who hit a 3-pointer to help the Mavericks move into a 70-70 tie midway through the third quarter.
