Mavs Fall To Grizzlies, Will Face Spurs
{fshare id=5039}
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — With 1.1 seconds left in overtime, and in the regular season, Memphis Grizzlies point guard Mike Conley stepped up to the free-throw line with his team down by a point.
“I would hate to be a fan because you have no control,” Conley said after he had sank both free throws to give the Grizzlies a 106-105 victory over Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at FedExForum, giving Memphis the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs.
Memphis (50-32) opens the postseason against the second-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder.
Dallas (49-33) gets the eighth seed and begins against the top-seeded San Antonio Spurs.
“That was playoff intensity,” said Dallas forward Dirk Nowitzki, who led all scorers with 30 points. “It was a fun game to be a part of. It went back and forth.”
The Grizzlies got 27 points and 14 rebounds from power forward Zach Randolph. Conley scored 22 points, and center Marc Gasol just missed a triple-double with 19 points, nine rebounds and nine
assists. Guard Tony Allen finished with 13 points.
Guard Monta Ellis, who scored the Mavericks’ last seven points in regulation and seven of the first nine in overtime, finished with 18 points. He had an open look with less than a second to go in overtime, but his shot bounced off the rim, and the Grizzlies hung on for the victory.
“Monta had a good fourth quarter and overtime,” Nowitzki said. “Took a tough shot.”
Conley’s free throws came off a drive into traffic in the paint. Guard Vince Carter was whistled for the foul.
“”Mike Conley just runs in there and didn’t have anything,” Nowitzki said. “That was another tough call.”
Reserve guard Devin Harris had 10 points and 10 assists for the Mavericks, who scored 19 points off 17 Memphis turnovers. The Grizzlies outrebounded the Mavericks 48-39, but Dallas scored more points in the paint, 58-42.
The Grizzlies extended their home winning streak to a franchise-best 14 games.
While much was made of the fact both teams struggle against the Spurs, Gasol said seeding wasn’t all that mattered Wednesday night.
“It was not just about positioning,” Gasol said. “It was about winning and feeling good about ourselves.”
And it’s not as if playing the Thunder is any kind of a break.
“Ain’t no relief,” Allen said. “(The Thunder and Spurs) are both sitting up there with a lot of wins.”
The Mavericks, meanwhile, will try to put Wednesday’s game behind them.
“Depends how emotional you want to make it,” Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. “It’s a tough loss.”
Even on the winning side, it was draining.
“An intense, stressful game,” Memphis coach Dave Joerger said.
Memphis carried a 75-73 lead into the fourth quarter, but Nowitzki scored nine consecutive Dallas points as the Mavericks took an 84-78 lead.
Memphis regained the lead at 89-88 with 3:20 to play when forward Mike Miller knocked down a corner 3-pointer. The Grizzlies were up three when Ellis hit a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left to tie the score at 93. Randolph missed a contested jumper with 1.8 seconds left, and the game went into overtime.
“We were up four in the overtime (with 2:07 left) and they kept making plays,” Carlisle said. “Z-Bo (Randolph) was good on the block.”
The Grizzlies were once 10-15 this season, and even though they made the playoffs for the fourth straight year, they are forever labeled an underdog.
“It’s in our DNA,” Conley said. “We are a scrappy team. We aren’t on national television every night. Then the playoffs get here, and it’s like, ‘The Grizzlies are pretty good.'”
