WHO: Memphis Grizzlies (43-27, 29-5 home) Dallas Mavericks (36-35, 14-21 away)
WHEN: 7:00 PM CT
WHERE: FedExForum — Memphis, TN
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN: Bally Sports Southeast/92.9 FM ESPN Memphis
INJURY REPORT:
MEMPHIS: Jaren Jackson Jr. (Questionable – LT Calf Soreness), Steven Adams (Out – RT Knee PCL Sprain), Brandon Clarke (Out – LT Achilles tear), Ja Morant (Out – Return to Competition Reconditioning), Z. Williams (Out – NBA G League Assignment), V. Williams Jr. (Out – RT Shoulder Soreness)
DALLAS: Luka Doncic (Questionable – Thigh), Kyrie Irving (Questionable – Foot), Markieff Morris (Questionable – Knee)
PROJECTED STARTING LINEUPS:
MEMPHIS: Tyus Jones, Desmond Bane, Dillon Brooks, Jaren Jackson Jr., Xavier Tillman
DALLAS: Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Reggie Bullock, Josh Green, Maxi Kleber
The Memphis Grizzlies have won five of their last six games and look to extend their home winning streak to nine as they face the Mavericks for the third time in the last two weeks. The last two meetings were won by the Grizzlies, one in which they overcame an 11-point 4th quarter deficit thanks to David Roddy.
This game will be much different than the last two, though, as All-Stars Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are both expected to play. It will be the first time this season that the Grizzlies will face the new duo in Dallas, and they will do so without Ja Morant, and possibly Jaren Jackson Jr. Here are some trends, players, and storylines to watch heading into tonight’s matchup.
Playoff Implications
At this time of the year, every game is important, but when you are fighting for the West’s second seed, these games become even more crucial. After some tough weeks both on and off the floor for the Grizzlies, they have started to hit their stride again. The fight for the two seed has been tough as the Kings continue to apply pressure, so Memphis absolutely needs to keep this momentum going. They also need to take advantage of having six of their next seven games at FedEx Forum, where they are 29-5 on the season.
Another playoff angle is that this could be a first-round preview. If the season ended today, it would be Grizzlies-Mavericks in the first round of the playoffs, so this is also important to see how the Grizzlies match up with a healthy Dallas team. The Grizzlies are 2-1 in the season series so far, but Doncic has only played in one of those games, and it was a blowout loss. That was very early in the season, but it would still be good to see the Grizzlies get a win with Doncic in the lineup.
Can David Roddy be the X-factor again?
In the first week of his NBA career, David Roddy was thrown into the fire and asked to guard Luka. It went as expected for an NBA rookie, but he did not let that keep him down. Roddy has played two more games against the Mavs since then and has scored 24 and 19 points, respectively, his two highest-scoring games of the season. He even had FedexForum chanting his name after leading the Grizzlies back on March 11th.
There is no question that Roddy will be on coach Jason Kidd’s radar after his last two performances, so it will be good to see how the rookie responds to some different defensive looks. In their first matchup, the Mavericks were leaving Roddy wide open from behind the arc, it is unlikely that they make the same mistake again.
Dillon Brooks Guarding Luka Doncic
“It goes to show that sometimes they ain’t ready to come back to a physical game.”
Dillon Brooks on Luka missing the March 11th matchup vs Memphis
Part of the Dillon Brooks trash-talking world tour involved comments about Luka missing the last game against the Grizzlies. Brooks and Doncic have not matched up yet this season, but Brooks has done a great job on superstar players all season. Fresh off holding Steph Curry under 20 points for the first time in two months, Brooks must be ready to back up his trash talk yet against arguably the best offensive player in the league.
For Brooks, it’s not about holding Doncic under a certain number of points. Doncic could easily score 30 points whether the Mavs win or lose. However, one thing he can do is use his physicality to make it harder for Doncic to get there. It is also much harder to sell out to stop Luka when he has a player as skilled as Irving next to him, so having an individual defender of Brooks’ caliber is even more important.
When the Grizzlies play at home, the numbers tell you to expect a Grizzlies win. They have lost just 5 games in FedEx Forum this season, the least home losses of any team in the NBA this season. The Grizzlies have also improved their 4th quarter-play with strong performances in their last two games. With a lot on the line for both teams, expect a playoff-level atmosphere in the Forum on Monday as the Grizzlies look to keep building toward the postseason.