All the talk of Utah Jazz growing up appears to be coming true

SALT LAKE CITY — Jazz fans can breathe easier now — once they actually catch their breath.

Clearly this team is no fluke, even if they did lose.

The Jazz said nearly as much in a 94-91 loss to Dallas as if they had won, Thursday. They overcame a 13-point deficit, keeping the outcome in suspense until the final two seconds. They might chalk this one up to experience, except that they did virtually everything necessary to win, anyway.

The most crucial misses were actually launched by veterans Al Jefferson and Devin Harris.

The kids? Maybe they're too young to know what they're into. Gordon Hayward dunked with 2:46 to go, tying the game, and rookie Alec Burks played almost nine fourth-quarter minutes, more than anyone except Paul Millsap.

So go ahead and pat them on the back for turning their home court into a hard place to play once again. Applaud the fact they have young, tireless legs. Take note that they are discovering themselves faster than anyone anticipated. The outcome was only the Jazz's second home loss of the season.

They slipped behind by double digits, but as soon as things started getting out of hand, they came back. They used lots of people and showed lots of looks, even taking a three-point lead in the fourth quarter . But Jason Terry's trey put the defending NBA champs in the lead for good.

If there were any concerns about the Jazz's attitude, that was answered on Thursday. When Dirk Nowitzki swatted the ball out of Derrick Favors' hands on a change of possession, Earl Watson answered in kind. Unfortunately for the Jazz, Watson was a bit too enthusiastic, drawing a technical.

Favors drew an offensive foul moments later and responded by launching the ball into the crowd, drawing another technical.

Bad timing— the score was tied at 71.

Still, playing the defending champs down to the wire isn't exactly what the Jazz were supposed to do this early in the year – or maybe in the decade.

"Because way they work, I wasn't overly surprised," said coach Ty Corbin, "but I'm happy that there's been the growth, thanks to their hard work, and I look forward to seeing it continue."

At times the Jazz looked like champions themselves. When C.J. Miles crossed over and dunked, the crowd went bonkers. Burks and Hayward were both on the court at crunch time, both scoring points. Neither looked terribly intimidated or tense.

It scarcely resembled the team that started the year.