5 guys from the Dallas Mavericks' thrilling preseason loss to the Utah Jazz

The Dallas Mavericks opened the preseason on Monday night with a loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at American Airlines Center. Dallas stuck with Memphis for most of the game, but Dallas couldn't match the Grizzlies' star power as both Ja Morant and Desmond Bane played.

The Mavs were without Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and Klay Thompson in that game, but that changed for Thursday night's game against the Utah Jazz. Both Thompson and Irving played and Mavs fans were thrilled to see him take the floor as a Maverick for the first time.

The atmosphere at the American Airlines Center was great and the start of the NBA season is officially less than two weeks away.

Although the Mavs suffered a 107-102 loss to Utah in this game, there were many important takeaways to consider when analyzing Dallas' game. The Mavs went on a wild run to end the game and came out healthy.

Their core players continue to perform well in their limited minutes and some of their young players have taken the next step in their development.

After a great game on Monday night, Lively II had another strong performance against the Jazz.

Lively II started the game strong as his first basket of the game was a slam off a pass from Klay Thompson, and he also had two blocks early. He made his mark on both sides of the game early on and he's becoming a more complete player every day.

Lively II's passing game continues to turn heads as he always seems to provide the right interpretation. This was one of the biggest areas of growth of his rookie year, and his reads in the short roll make him extremely difficult to defend. He also showed the ability to pass to the cutters when his back is to the basket, and his feel for the game is unparalleled for a 20-year-old.

Lively II's stats won't always stand out in the box score, but his impact on the game is as big as anyone else on the team. His length, size and athleticism help him manipulate countless shots in the paint and perimeter. He finished the game with four points, three rebounds and two blocks and always brings great energy.

Lively II has been fearless when it comes to guarding faster players on the perimeter, and defensively there are no gaps in the youngster's game.