This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Dallas • Utah Jazz point guard Raul Neto's play has been on the uptick.
The rookie from Brazil has found a way to be a relevant and consistent threat offensively. He still has defensive issues at times, but for the most part he's been everything the Jazz have hoped for, especially in the past month.
That doesn't mean Neto hasn't had his rough patches — or that he doesn't remember them.
Take the last time the Jazz played against the Dallas Mavericks, for example. In a 102-93 loss on Nov. 20, Neto played 15 minutes and scored eight points. He had a difficult time with former Jazz star Deron Williams, who finished with 23 points, eight assists and four rebounds.
Neto remembers everything from that night. He stored it away, and chalked it up to growing pains every rookie has to encounter.
"It was really tough," Neto said. "I thought I did well, but Deron's so good. He's a veteran and it was hard to guard him. I think I've gotten better since then, and I hope we have gotten better as a team."
Specifically, Neto remembers he had a hard time with Williams' physicality posting up, the way he muscled him down low and used his strengths to get to his sweet spots.
One difference from that game in November to Tuesday night is that Neto did not have much in the way of backup. In November, Trey Burke and Alec Burks were both available; sickness and injury, respectively, kept those two from playing on Tuesday.
A little more focus
Jazz players rejected the notion of the upcoming all-star break producing senioritis in the locker room.
On the contrary — the recent winning streak, coupled with rising in the standings has helped Utah, as the Jazz prepared to play games on consecutive nights against the Mavericks and the New Orleans Pelicans to finish the official first half of the season.
"If anything, it's made us even more focused," Jazz forward Trevor Booker said. "We know that we're playing for something, that the games are meaningful, and that helps."
Streaks never die
The Jazz last beat the Mavericks in Dallas in 2010, a span of 10 games. Utah started out well against the Mavericks in November, but came undone at the hands of a 35-17 second-quarter run, making a second-half run irrelevant.
"That's a veteran team," Booker said. "They have great players, smart players who make you pay for every mistake. You really have to play a clean game to have a chance against them."
Twitter: @tjonessltrib