The Memphis Grizzlies took on the Dallas Mavericks for the 3rd time in 9 nights. This time, the Mavericks had Kyrie Irving in the lineup — without Luka Doncic though. Ja Morant didn’t play but was back with the team, receiving full support from everybody in the Forum:
The 1st quarter belonged to Jaren Jackson Jr. and Kyrie Irving to start the game. Jackson scored 11 points on 10 field goal attempts, asserting himself by treating the basket like a Nerf hoop among the Mavs big men. Kyrie showcased his special scoring arsenal as well. The Grizzlies built a lead as large as 7, but the Mavericks quickly shrunk it back down to a 2-point game to end the quarter. Grizzlies led 30-28 after the 1st quarter.
Desmond Bane led the charge for the Grizzlies with his drive attack as a scorer and playmaker to start the 2nd quarter. The Grizzlies’ defense was lackluster, as the Mavericks built some momentum with Christian Wood. Jaren Jackson Jr. received a flagrant-1 foul, technical, and double foul in the quarter — not sure that’s been a thing in NBA history. Tyus Jones helped the Grizzlies regain a groove to end the half, trailing 60-57.
Early in the second quarter, the Grizzlies challenged a foul call on Dillon Brooks, which then became an offensive foul on Dwight Powell. Then, there was a lot of silly stuff that happened. Dillon Brooks posterized Maxi Kleber, then trash-talked and yelled towards Theo Pinson from the Mavericks bench. In Dillon fashion, he receives a technical foul — which suspends him from Wednesday’s game:
Jaren Jackson Jr. picked up his 5th foul after tallying 2 quick ones. From there, the Mavericks pulled away to extend their lead to close the quarter — leading the way 96-80 going into the final frame.
The Grizzlies bench sparked a massive comeback, all fueled by hustling their asses off. The collective unit of Tyus Jones, Luke Kennard, John Konchar, David Roddy, and Santi Aldama generated 6 offensive rebounds in the first half of the 4th quarter — trimming the deficit from 16 to 1 in 7 minutes. Aldama’s aggression was huge for them scoring the basketball, tallying 7 points in that span.
Taylor Jenkins brought Jackson, Bane, and Brooks to finish the job. The offensive prowess of Bane and Jackson, as well as the defensive performance on Kyrie from Brooks and Jackson, fueled them. Drives from Bane and Jackson built the Grizzlies lead up to 5, and it was too late for the Mavs to spark a comeback.
Behind a massive 4th quarter, the Grizzlies beat the Mavericks 112-108 to win the season series 3-1. The Grizzlies have now won 6 of their past 7 games.
Quick Takeaways
- The Grizzlies don’t win that game without the bench. The Grizzlies’ depth has been depleted with the absences of Ja Morant, Steven Adams, and Brandon Clarke. In the process, people have had to take on larger roles and more minutes. Tonight, it paid off as the bench’s efforts in the 4th quarter fueled the win. They flew around for loose balls, kept the ball movement humming, crashed the glass, and really looked to turn “good shots” to “great shots.” Santi Aldama was a catalyst for them, asserting himself inside the paint and generating offense through second-chance opportunities.
- Keep feeding Jaren Jackson Jr. The Grizzlies All-Star big man had his 4th-straight game with 25+ points, and he looked locked in from the jump offensively (Defensively, the fouls were sloppy). However, he’s improved immensely as a finisher, bullying opponents in the paint. Jackson as a main option is fascinating to watch, and it should be interesting to see where his shot attempts go when Ja Morant returns.
The Memphis Grizzlies will play the Houston Rockets on Wednesday and Friday at the Forum to close a 4-game homestand.