DALLAS, Feb. 26 (Ticker) -- So far, it looks like the Dallas Mavericks made the right move.

Raef LaFrentz scored 17 points and Nick Van Exel added 12 off the bench as the Mavericks cruised to their third straight victory, 104-91 over the lowly Memphis Grizzlies.

Although it was already among the best teams in the NBA, Dallas pulled the trigger on a seven-player deal with the Denver Nuggets on Thursday, acquiring both LaFrentz and Van Exel with Avery Johnson and Tariq Abdul-Wahad.

After the new arrivals made their debut Saturday in a 14-point win over league-leading Sacramento, the new-look Mavericks had little trouble against the Grizzlies.

NBA TV highlights from Grizzlies-Mavericks: 56k | 300k Michael Finley looks for one of his eight dimes to go along with his 30-point evening. Glenn James NBAE/Getty Images

"I think we got the first-game jitters out of the way," LaFrentz said. "(Saturday) was a pretty stressful situation to be in, but we came through with a W with the new team. Tonight it felt like a much more relaxed atmosphere."

Michael Finley had 30 points, eight rebounds and eight assists, but it was LaFrentz, Dallas' new starting center, that sparked another rout.

The Mavs had a 16-13 edge with 5:35 left in the first quarter before going on an 18-6 run and opening a double-digit lead for good.

LaFrentz opened the burst with a basket and added a jumper and a layup before capping with a 3-pointer for a 34-19 cushion with 44 seconds left.

"There were more shots out there than I could handle," he said. "I didn't want to shoot them all. I just kept shooting it and fortunately most of them went in."

"LaFrentz got the call on a lot of play calls," Dallas coach Don Nelson said. "He's able to run the floor and how about the fast break led by one 7-footer to another, when (Dirk) Nowitzki pushes the ball up the floor and hits LaFrentz on the other side? How many times have you seen that in the NBA? Not very much."

The Mavs cruised to their sixth straight win over the Grizzlies and improved to 3-1 on a five-game homestand.

"They set the tone early and took it to us," Memphis coach Sidney Lowe said. "We couldn't run with them. They were just too good for us."

LaFrentz and Van Exel combined to make 12-of-23 shots, including 3-of-7 3-pointers, for Dallas, which shot 50 percent (42-of-84). Finley made 12-of-18 shots.

"I felt like I got into a nice groove," Finley said. "My teammates were finding me when I was open and I just made the most of the situation. I was slashing to the basket, bringing attention to me and then getting my teammates involved."

"It's difficult to defend us," Nelson said. "When we're shooting the ball, which we can do, we're difficult to play. It's just a matter of time to play a number of games and get better and better and prepare for the playoffs. In the remaining games, I think we'll do well, but we have to just get better as a team."

Nowitzki collected 16 points, nine rebounds and six assists and fellow All-Star Steve Nash had eight points and seven assists in only 22 minutes as the Mavs were able to rest their best players for most of the second half.

Rookie Shane Battier had 18 points and eight rebounds and Lorenzen Wright scored 17 points for Memphis, which has lost four straight and remained tied with the Chicago Bulls for the worst record in the NBA.

Spanish rookie Pau Gasol recorded 15 points and nine rebounds and Rodney Buford and Will Solomon added 14 points apiece for the Grizzlies, who shot just 41 percent (34-of-83).

Memphis only dressed nine players as starting point guard Jason Williams, backup point guard Brevin Knight and forward Grant Long continue to nurse injuries.

"We played last night and we're short on numbers," Lowe said. "Guys are a little tired. You just try to tell the guys to dig it out and do the best you can. But it is hard to judge yourself against a team like this."

"It's nine men and we don't have a choice," Battier said. "If we don't play hard we can really get embarrassed out there. We could make excuses but we don't try to make any excuses for ourselves. We don't want to be anybody's sacrificial lamb."