Jazz vs. Mavericks: Keep On Rollin', Rollin', Rollin', Rolling'

Wow, this one was a real roller-coaster of a ride, but the Jazz ended up on top once again from Energy Solutions Arena. Somehow they just keep pulling out big games at home, and this one was definitely a big game and an exciting one. We'll take it from the top and try not to miss any of the action:

The Jazz started out white-hot in the first quarter. Carlos Boozer hit his first 5 shots, Ronnie Brewer had a couple three-point plays, and before Jerry Sloan had let fly his first expletive, Utah was up by 21! They were shooting close to 70% in the first quarter, and the Mavericks were completely left in the dust. The Jazz did take a big blow in the first period, however, when Dirk Nowitzki clotheslined Andrei Kirilenko under the hoop, slamming AK to the ground right on the small of his back. Andrei stayed down for awhile and ended up limping to the locker room and being wheeled out to a local hospital for x-rays (the preliminary reports came up negative).

The Jazz as a team kept cruising all the way through the second quarter and took a 14-point lead into halftime. Deron Williams had -- get this -- 14 assists in the first half!! That's one short of the franchise-record set by the Assist King himself. Things were looking good at that point, but Utah came out flat in the third quarter, and Dallas trimmed the lead to 6 heading into the final stanza.

The Mavericks kept chipping away at the lead; fans started getting nervous, and the Jazz players were starting to play a little reckless. About halfway through the period, Dallas took a three-point lead and had complete momentum. For those of you that may have forgotten, though, this game was played in SLC. Utah answered with a 16-0 run, and didn't really look back from there. The game was cemented from the charity stripe, with Kyle Korver (surprise!) hitting 6 straight to seal the deal. In fact, as a team, Utah nailed all 18 free throws in the fourth quarter! It's pretty hard to lose at home with that percentage. Carlos Boozer had some huge steals when the game was on the line, and Mehmet Okur had a big three-point play to turn the tide for the Jazz.

Despite the great performance from many players, the game ball has to go -- once again -- to D-Will. He finished the game with 17 points and 20 assists! He's really proving himself as a strong leader and a smart passer. He seems to be maturing and improving every week. He will be invaluable to the team come playoff time.

Utah has a revenge game against the "pesky Timberwolves" on Wednesday, as well as a Friday night game in Phoenix against the new-look Suns, but everybody has to be anticipating the big Saturday matchup against the right-on-our-heels Nuggets in SLC. The excitement has only just begun!