Jazz Get Chance to End Ugly Skid vs. Cooper Flagg, Mavericks in NBA Cup Opener

The Utah Jazz had a six-point lead in overtime Wednesday night ... and still found a way to lose.

Now riding a six-game losing streak, Utah heads to Dallas on Friday for its NBA Cup opener against Cooper Flagg and the Mavericks. 

The Jazz are 0-0 in West Group A, giving them an opportunity to get something going before their regular-season struggles follow them any further into November.

And Dallas already has a head start.

The Mavericks defeated the Houston Rockets 116-111 in their tournament opener last Friday behind 35 points from Kyrie Irving. They've since dropped consecutive games against Sacramento and San Antonio.

Utah hasn't been nearly as competitive in the standings, although Wednesday's loss to New Orleans was ... at least ... winnable.

Keyonte George erupted for 39 points and nine assists in the Jazz's 120-113 overtime defeat. Lauri Markkanen added 21 points and 10 rebounds, while George's consecutive three-pointers gave Utah a six-point lead early in the extra period.

Though it wasn't enough.

Friday brings another difficult assignment, starting with Flagg.

The reigning Rookie of the Year is averaging 24.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 6.3 assists through Dallas' first eight games. Irving is contributing another 22.7 points per contest.

Flagg has struggled with his shot recently, going a combined 10-of-38 from the field in Dallas' last two losses. Utah would certainly welcome another cold shooting night from the former No. 1 overall pick.

George, meanwhile, has been Utah's leading scorer at 22 points per game. Rookie Darryn Peterson, the No. 2 selection in June's draft, is averaging 12.6 points, adding another intriguing element to Friday's matchup.

The Jazz will again be without Jaren Jackson Jr. and Jusuf Nurkic, forcing Markkanen into additional minutes at center as he continues to deal with a wrist injury.

Dallas has frontcourt concerns of its own. Dereck Lively II was ruled out, while Santi Aldama and Max Christie were listed as probable on Thursday's injury report.

Utah could also use some improvement from beyond the arc.

The Jazz are shooting just 31.5 percent from three-point range this season, including a miserable 34-of-121 over their last three games.

Will Hardy isn't panicking about the shooting struggles.

"It's a long year, every team faces adversity and shooting slumps," Hardy said after Wednesday's loss.

Utah will also face Houston, Phoenix and Denver in West Group A, leaving just three more opportunities to improve its tournament standing after Friday.

The Jazz will then conclude their four-game road trip Sunday against Minnesota.

A win in Dallas wouldn't erase six straight losses, although it would finally give Utah something positive to build on. Another defeat would extend the skid to seven and immediately put the Jazz behind in a tournament with little room for mistakes.

Utah has spent six games explaining what went wrong.

Friday presents a prime opportunity to give everyone something else to talk about.