The Memphis Grizzlies welcomed the Dallas Mavericks to FedEx Forum Wednesday night for what would be nothing short of a thriller. Memphis looked to keep their momentum rolling, as they entered winning 6 of their last 8 contests. Dallas, however, was looking to get back in the win column after a 2-game skid.
A grind from the jump
The first period saw buckets being traded for multiple lead changes through the first 5 minutes. However, an alley-oop from Dallas’s Luka Doncic to Maxi Kleber put a halt to that – at least for a few. Grayson Allen of the Grizzlies kept his team afloat, scoring 12 straight points for Memphis. He ended the first with 14. The high-scoring first quarter closed with the Grizzlies snatching a 34-32 lead over Dallas.
The Grizz – currently 8th in the West standings – built their lead to 9 before Dallas coach Rick Carlisle decided to talk it over. After more back-and-forth, the Mavs tied the game back up at 51 all. However, the Grizzlies were able to hold on to a 3-point advantage going into the half.
Midway through the third, Dallas had seen a 1-point lead that would be short-lived. Following a vicious throwdown in transition by Ja Morant, the Grizzlies were right back up by 5. Yet, Dallas refused to go away. Momentum never stuck to one side, with each team answering every punch thrown.
A JJ Redick triple 4 minutes into the final frame saw Dallas back up by a point. Fittingly, the Grizzlies responded with a 7 to 0 run to regain the lead, 100-94. With just 3 minutes to play, the game was tied up at 106 apiece. Grizzlies big man Jonas Valanciunas came to life after a relatively slow start, scoring an array of timely buckets. A three by Kyle Anderson put the Grizzlies up 5 with limited time, but Dallas scored 4 straight to keep it close.
An unlikely ending
Down by 2 with only 2.2 seconds left, Dallas was forced to foul with hopes of the Grizzlies missing at least one free throw. Unfortunately, they fouled Allen – a 90.6 percent free-throw shooter on the season. After uncharacteristically missing not one, but both of his free throws, Allen left the door open for Dallas to steal the game. And they did just that.
Dallas called time out to advance the ball with 1.8 seconds left. In the final play, they inbounded to Doncic, who scrambled to get a quality look at the basket. Stumbling into his shot, Doncic released a floater from just beyond the 3-point line as the buzzer sounded.
Luka’s shot fell through, touching nothing but net to give Dallas (30-24) a 114-113 win over the Grizzlies (27-26).
Doncic – the League’s 5th leading scorer – finished with a game-high 29 points to go with 9 dimes, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals. Kristaps Porzingis added an efficient 21 points with 6 boards. Tim Hardaway, Jr., and Dwight Powell chipped in 11 points and 12 points, respectively.
“Honestly, I don’t remember,” Doncic said when asked if he got a good look at the rim. “I was kind of falling down. It’s kind of lucky, but we’ll take it.”
Scoring was balanced for the Grizz. Allen led the way with 23 points, tying a career best with 6 threes made. Valanciunas put up 19 points to go with 15 rebounds, while Morant added 17 with 5 assists. Dillon Brooks finished with 15 points, and Rookie Desmond Bane pitched in 11 off the bench.
Up Next
Dallas will next suit up against Julius Randle and the New York Knicks Friday at 6:30 p.m. PST.
