Mavs Top Grizzlies
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MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Dallas Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle wasn’t afraid to speak the truth after a 103-95 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday at FedExForum that stands as his team’s best win over a Western Conference opponent this season.
“We’ve played a favorable schedule. Our record (29-13) looks good,” Carlisle said. “But we’re in for a different kind of competition. We were 1-8 against playoff teams in the West coming into this, so this is a beginning. By no means do we have it figured out.”
The Mavericks, however, did figure it out Monday.
Dallas led the entire second half until Memphis point guard Mike Conley (22 points) hit a 3-pointer for a 91-89 lead with 4:03 to play. The Mavericks closed on a 14-4 run with forward Dirk Nowitzki (21 points) scoring eight of his 10 fourth-quarter points in the last two minutes.
“Just Dirk being Dirk,” said Dallas guard Rajon Rondo, who also made two big buckets after the Grizzlies took the lead.
Dallas guard Monta Ellis scored 25 points and handed out seven assists. Center Tyson Chandler contributed 10 points and 16 rebounds and fought the good fight in the low post with Grizzlies power forward Zach Randolph (18 points and 15 rebounds) and center Marc Gasol (20 points and eight rebounds).
“It’s a wrestling match down there anytime you face those two,” Chandler said.
It also was not lost on the Mavericks that Gasol and Randolph played the entire second half.
“They obviously wanted to win this game,” Chandler said.
Not only did the Mavericks snap the Grizzlies’ four-game winning
streak, but with Memphis at 29-12, the teams are just a half-game apart in the ultra-competitive Southwest Division. The Houston Rockets (29-13) are right there with them.
“This one hurts because we understand the meaning of having the tiebreaker at the end of the year,” Conley said.
Previously, the Mavericks’ most impressive win over a team from the West was against the Spurs, but several key San Antonio players did not play in that game.
“We talked about it before the game,” Nowitzki said. “We needed to get some wins against good teams. I thought defensive rebounding won us the game (rebounds were even at 42 each). Keep it even against a great front line like Memphis, it puts us in position to win.”
Forward/center Dwight Powell played just under 17 minutes off the Dallas bench and had three points with one rebound, one steal and five fouls. However, that didn’t tell the whole story, as he used his 6-foot-11, 240-pound body to make life as difficult as possible for Randolph and Gasol.
“Powell did a terrific job,” Carlisle said. “He had some tough calls when he was trying to be aggressive. He is a long, active body. The thing we love about him is he gives consistent energy and effort.”
Dallas forward Chandler Parsons finished with 15 points, and guard Devin Harris added 12 off the bench. The Mavericks shot 34-for-76 from the floor (44.7 percent). The Grizzlies shot 36-for-85 (42.4 percent). Memphis had a huge advantage on points in the paint — 58 to 26.
However, Dallas hit 10 of 25 3-pointers (40 percent) while Memphis went 3-for-22 (13.6 percent). The Mavs were 25-for-33 from the foul line (75.8 percent) while the Grizzlies shot 11 fewer free throws and finished 20-for-22 (90.9 percent).
“The competitive difference in the game was free throws and threes,” Grizzlies coach Dave Joerger said. “It’s not hard to do the math.”
The Grizzlies and Mavs are now 1-1 head-to-head, and the final two meetings of the season will be in Dallas.
“They’re a really good team,” Nowitzki said of the Grizzlies. “And with the addition of (forward) Jeff Green, they’ve got one more scoring punch out there. This is a tough building. This is as loud as it gets on both ends of the floor.”
