Back at 0.500…AGAIN: Grizz vs. Mavs Recap
On Friday night, the Memphis Grizzlies took on the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center. These two teams first saw each other this season in Memphis on November 24, and the Grizzlies were the victors in that game (110-96). The Grizzlies were looking to win another game in the series and edge up on the Mavericks spot in the Southwest Division and the Western Conference. Likewise, the Mavericks were looking to win at home and even up the series.
Coach Dave Joerger went with the line-up that he first introduced on Sunday in Miami and has used all this week: Mike Conley, Courtney Lee, Jeff Green, Matt Barnes, and Marc Gasol. After the 97-88 loss to the Mavericks on Friday, the Grizzlies are now 1-3 with this new line-up this week with the sole win coming to a struggling Washington Wizards team. Maybe changing the line-up isn’t the formula to generate wins either.
The Grizzlies came out strong in the first few minutes of the game. They missed a few shots, but they didn’t allow Dallas to make any either. Defense wasn’t predicated by offense. For a moment, it was like it used to be in the old days (i.e. last season) when they played good defense in spite of what was happening offensively. In the beginning, it looked like the Grizzlies would come home with a W. Then, what has become the dreaded middle 24 minutes of the game happened. The Grizzlies won the 1st quarter by 1 point, tied in the 4th, and lost that middle 24 minutes…AGAIN.
Take Aways:
Gasol and Conley combined for 36 points on 12/26 shooting. Typically, this would indicate a win. However, it didn’t translate into a W on Friday. Conley led all Grizzlies scorers with 20 points, 2 assists, 1 steal and 4 rebounds in 34 minutes. Gasol was second highest scorer with 16 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist and 3 steals in 33 minutes.
The other starters combined for 21 points. Matt Barnes continues to make contributions on both ends with 11 points on 4/9 shooting, 5 rebounds, 1 assist, 4 steals and 3 blocks in 31 minutes of play. Courtney Lee had 8 points on 2/8 shooting, 2 assists and 1 steal in 28 minutes of play. Jeff Green struggled with just 2 points on 0/7 shooting, 7 rebounds and 3 assists in 34 minutes of play.
The Grizzlies had 12 turnovers that led to 16 points for the Mavericks. The Mavericks had 19 turnovers that the Grizzlies converted to 21 points.
The Grizzlies managed to let the Mavericks beat them to the boards, with 50 rebounds for the Mavericks compared to 39 for the Grizzlies.
The Grizzlies bench was outscored by the Mavericks, 43 to 31. Chandler Parsons led the Mavericks bench with 16 points in 31 minutes of play. Mario Chalmers led the Grizzlies bench with 12 points in 25 minutes of play. Zach Randolph, who had been making almost 60% of his shots coming off the bench this week, had a tough night tonight going 3/10 scoring 7 points with 5 rebounds and 1 assist in 26 minutes of play.
Rookie Jarell Martin saw his first few minutes of NBA action tonight and went 0-2 in 3 minutes. JaMychal Green contributed 8 points on 4/6 shooting and 7 rebounds in 12 minutes. James Ennis contributed 4 points on 1/2 shooting. That one shot made was an open 3 point shot. Ennis played right under 8 minutes.
After a terrible free throw shooting night against the Bulls on Wednesday, the Grizzlies went 22/24 from the line on Friday.
The Grizzlies will face the Indiana Pacers tonight for the last home game before Christmas. This will be the last meeting of these two teams. The Grizzlies got their first win of the season against them in Indiana, so the Pacers will be looking for redemption. The Pacers also played on Friday night. They defeated the Nets in Indiana. If it’s any comfort to Grizzlies fans, the home team is 6-1 on SEGABABAs this season, with the sole loss coming to San Antonio in San Antonio. Hopefully, they’ll right the ship before heading out on the road again to face the 76ers and the Wizards before Christmas. Catch the Grizzlies at home tonight at 7 p.m. where a Z-Bow Gift Package will be given to the first 5,000 fans and a special ceremony honoring 15 year season ticket holders will take place. It’s been a tough start, but the home team needs your support. Go Grizz!!
- Grizzlies dominate Hawks again in 118-101 victory - March 8, 2020
- Grizzlies rally too late, fall to Pelicans 126-116 - January 21, 2020
- Grizzlies win fifth straight, defeat Warriors 122-102 - January 13, 2020
