The Dallas Mavericks (5-7) are locked in NBA Hell at the moment after suffering their fourth-straight clutch loss, this time against the Utah Jazz (3-8) at the Delta Center, 115-113. A furious fourth-quarter Dallas comeback attempt was rendered comically moot by the previous three quarters’ worth of bad body language and even worse defense and rebounding.

The lineups head coach Jason Kidd tinkered with early on were ridiculous, and without the steadying hand of Kyrie Irving in the lineup, the shorthanded Mavericks sputtered, found it, sputtered again, came back, then collapsed in the game’s final minutes after putting together a 25-7 run in the failed fourth-quarter comeback.

There were some good individual contributions along the way, but the Dallas effort on Thursday in Salt Lake City looked like an assembly of shiny parts more than a finished product. Here’s how the Mavs grade out in their latest fart-and-fall-down loss.

Luka Doncic: C+

37 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds

Dončić’s step-back 3-pointer was falling early, a welcome sight after the team’s less-than-spectacular 5-6 start. He hit 2-of-3 from deep in the first quarter before missing all four of his 3-point attempts in the second quarter. He made the adjustment as his jumper cooled off and fashioned himself into a battering ram on the way to the bucket for a couple of driving scores and drive-and-kicks.

Dončić provided the necessary spark after Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford exited to the locker room in the third quarter. Gafford had an apparent injury, and Lively had just picked up his fifth foul when he was seen making his way down the tunnel. Gafford returned with a little over three minutes to play in the third, while Lively returned in the fourth. Dončić hit a floating banker with 6:28 left in the third, then nailed a long 3-ball the next time down to bring the Mavs to within 81-78 and force a Utah timeout.

In the fourth, as the Mavericks stormed back from what had ballooned to a 16-point Utah lead, Dončić nailed a 3-pointer with Kyle Filipowski’s hand in his face to tie the game, 108-108, with 2:15 left, then found Dereck Lively II on a lob the next time down to take a brief lead before the Jazz closed the game out in the final two minutes.

But I mean, losing John Collins for an easy game-winning dunk while standing flat-footed on defense with six seconds remaining is just inexcusable, and it’s indicative of a certain degree of pout our resident supernova puts on tape far more than he should.

Klay Thompson: B+

17 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists

Klay Thompson poured it in for a second straight game where the Mavericks needed everything he could give them. Thompson’s third 3-pointer of the game and his second of the second quarter dragged the lethargic Mavericks back in front, 47-45 with 4:45 left before halftime. His fourth came in transition on a perfect lead pass from Dončić that gave the Mavs a 61-55 lead two minutes into the third.

Naji Marshall: A

19 points, 4 assists, 2 rebounds, 3 steals

Marshall had a big game, and this looks very repeatable. He converted a tough drive through the lane with a double-pump through contact over Filipowski with four minutes left in the second. After completing the 3-point play, the Mavs were in front 50-47 and showing signs of life again to close out the first half. He got past Filipowski again with 1:45 for a lay-in that see-sawed the Mavs back in front, 56-55. His aggressiveness getting to the hoop provided the offense with a welcome sense of balance while Dončić, Thompson and Grimes attacked primarily along the perimeter.

He played well in the two-man game beside Dončić in the second half, knocking down floaters, getting to the basket and even flashing a little playmaking ability in the loss. He picked Keyonte George’s pocket on the perimeter and converted the contested layup in transition to bring the Mavs to within five, down 106-103, with 4:14 left to play.

Daniel Gafford: C+

10 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocked shots

Gafford came off the bench against the Jazz, but he had to leave early in the third quarter after slipping while jostling for an offensive rebound. He could be seen walking gingerly to the locker room with about eight minutes left in the third. He checked back in late in the third, so whatever happened must not have been too serious.

Dereck Lively: D+

5 points, 2 rebounds, 4 blocked shots

Lively got the start in place of Gafford in Utah, but foul trouble kept him from putting his stamp on the first half. He picked up two quick blocked shots, including an impressive stop against Collins inside with 7:50 left in the first quarter. He was physical on both ends of the floor — perhaps a little two aggressive, though. He picked up two quick fouls in the first and picked up his third early in the second quarter, giving him three in just over six minutes on the floor in the first half.

He fouled Filipowski inside with 10:45 left in the third, then fouled Lauri Markkanen on a 3-point play deep in the lane a minute or so later, and he was basically in jail the rest of the evening. He went to the locker room after his fifth foul, but returned in the fourth.

In his absence, Collins, the long-time Mavs killer, cleaned up for 28 points for Utah.

Quentin Grimes: A-

15 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds

With Kyrie Irving out nursing a shoulder injury against the Jazz, the Mavericks leaned more on Grimes, Jaden Hardy and Spencer Dinwiddie for important minutes. Grimes stepped into the starting lineup and stepped up for the Mavs in the first quarter. His jumper looked smooth, and he hit two big 3-pointers as the quarter wore on and Dallas clung to its early lead.

He hit his third on a nice drive-and-kick from Naji Marshall with 5:20 left in the second to pull the Mavs back to within one, down just 45-44, before completing a tough 3-point play through Jordan Clarkson on an assist from Dončić with a minute to go before halftime.

It’s been a puzzle for Grimes to start the season, getting inconsistent minutes through the first 12 games of the season, but here’s a little bit of trivia (overheard in the Mavs Moneyball Slack channel) that hopefully points toward the free-agent addition finding his way in the Mavericks rotation: Grimes posted 15 points and four assists in the first half on Thursday. Josh Green, whose position in the lineup Grimes took more or less took over, only recorded seven games of 15 points and four assists in his 223 games in a Mavericks uniform.

Grimes didn’t have near the impact on the second half, when he was held scoreless, as he did on the first.

Spencer Dinwiddie: D+

0 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

Dinwiddie came in for the first time late in the first quarter and immediately committed two turnovers in his first 1:45 of playing time late. With Grimes fitting into the rotation as effectively as he did, Dinwiddie only saw about five more minutes on the floor in the first half. He came back in midway through the third and promptly threw a pass behind a cutting Dwight Powell, who was charged for the turnover when it landed in Collins’ hands down low, but it took two to dance that bone-headed tango.

Jaden Hardy: B

7 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 2 steals

There was that really nice highlight dunk over Keyonte George with less than three minutes to play in the third quarter, but since it happened in the midst of the Jazz’ 25-7 run, we can’t give Hardy a ton of extra credit for his high-flying exclamation point. He provided a little lift with his 3-point play in transition on an assist from Marshall that pulled the Mavs to within 101-92 with 9:52 left to play.

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DALLAS – A Travis County judge is expected to issue a ruling soon that will provide clarity about the Dallas Police and Fire Pension funding plan.

While the ruling is awaited, there were some tense moments at the pension fund meeting with the city’s hired consultant.

One sticking point between some Dallas City Council members and the pension fund has been whether the fund is doing enough to increase its return on investments.

On Thursday, pension board members questioned the city’s consultant about a report they felt was one-sided.

“Some of these kind of off-handed side comments were very damaging to the work that we are trying to do,” said Michael Brown, a trustee.

“I’ve been very clear to the city, this is a very experienced qualified board,” said Dory Wiley, the president and CEO of Commerce Street Holdings.

Wiley was hired by the city of Dallas to be an independent consultant about the state of the pension.

For years, the pension fund has struggled financially from a legacy of bad investments that the current pension board is still trying to correct.

The city will be on the hook for billions of dollars to help keep the fund solvent, which is why Dallas hired a consultant to look at the fund’s performance.

Thursday’s board meeting revealed tensions between that city consultant and pension trustees.

“I wanted to meet with you on this, and you stiff armed me,” Wiley said.

“I did not stiff arm you,” Brown replied.

“Yes, you did. You said you would not meet with me,” Wiley said.

“I did because you met with another trustee and at the end of the meeting you threatened to sue him,” Brown said.

“No, I did that at the beginning of the meeting,” Wiley said. “I had a very good cause. That’s was for the libel comments he did at a public meeting.”

Wiley later clarified that he’s not interested in suing anyone.

One of the issues causing contention is the comparison of the Dallas plan to Houston’s plan.

“It’s a goal,” Wiley said.

“This has been the comparison that’s led or has kind of been intimated that we are not doing our job,” said Tina Hernandez Patterson, the vice chairman and mayoral appointee.

“No one has said you are not doing your job. We were specifically requested by the city, ‘Hey will you compare us to Houston,’” Wiley said.

“The Houston police, they were 60% funded, they received $1 billion from the city. So, if the city of Dallas wanted to give the Dallas Police Department $1 billion, I think then you can compare them to Houston,” argued Michael Taglienti, a police officer trustee.

Trustee Mark Malveaux criticized the Commerce Street report by not including the pension fund’s plan.

“That impression is damming,” he said. “The part missing is the part that would give people confidence in the people sitting around the board.”

“I 100% agree with you,” Wiley said.

Then Wiley revealed the city hadn’t taken all of his advice.

“About a) what the scope of this out to be, b) how it ought to be approached, c) about the public part of it, and d) we did not get enough input from you guys. We got some, but not nearly enough. We didn’t advocate that, they did,” he said. “The intention is pure. We want to help.”

Whatever the Travis County judge rules in the case between the pension fund and the city, either side may decide to call on lawmakers for new legislation. 

One big sticking point is whether retirees should receive a cost-of-living adjustment or a stipend that will not keep up with inflation.

Restaurateur Al Biernat passed away on Wednesday, November 13, after being diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was 69 years old.

Biernat started his career in hospitality at 18 in Aspen, working as a bartender. He moved around as a young man, living in New York, Los Angeles, and Houston — and in the latter, he helped open the Palm. He moved from Houston to L.A. to work at the legendary location of the Palm there, known as a hotbed of industry insider dinners for movies, music, and entertainment. Eventually, the Palm brought Biernet to Dallas, where he opened the now-defunct restaurant and was general manager of all its locations in the city.

In 1998, when Biernat was in his 40s, he opened Al Biernat’s in Oak Lawn — his own steakhouse. It was like unlocking the floodgates of steak. It may be difficult to imagine, but Dallas was not always a town known for its steakhouses, and Al Biernat’s, along with the openings of Nick & Sam’s, Pappa’s Brothers, and III Forks, helped usher in an era where that reputation was made.

For decades, Biernat was one of the leading figures in hospitality. In 2009, D magazine wrote, “Al Biernat is known as one of, if not the very best, hosts in the restaurant biz. His passion for pleasing and damn near photographic memory when it comes to remembering guests’ names spans over two decades, has become legendary and sets the bar for other front of the house guys on the local fine dining scene.”

In 2011, then-general manager Brad Fuller told NBC DFW, Biernat is “the host of all hosts. He’s the nicest, most friendly guy. He’ll remember your name or what table you like, what you had last time you were in, whether that was last week or a year ago.”

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Al Biernat’s

Numerous celebrities have stopped into Al Biernat’s over the years, including Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis, every significant Dallas sports figure, and former president George W. Bush. Then there was the 2011 Super Bowl in Dallas when Adam Sandler, Jennifer Aniston, Cameron Diaz, Demi Moore, and Jerry Jones all dined there.

The restaurant opened a second location in North Dallas in 2017.

Biernat was diagnosed with ALS earlier in 2024 and had a series of conversations with the Dallas Morning News about his life.

Biernat is survived by his wife, Jeannie, and his children Angelica Saylor, Kaitlin Biernat Connell, and Jess Biernat, along with his grandchildren. Biernat’s family would like to receive messages, stories, and photos from friends and customers. Send them via email to FriendofAl@albiernats.com or mail them to Al Biernat’s Personal at 4217 Oak Lawn Ave., Dallas, Texas, 75219.