Mavericks-Grizzlies Preview

By MATT BEARDMORE
Posted Feb 29 2012 1:52AM

The Dallas Mavericks couldn't get their offense in gear as they stumbled in their first game following the All-Star break.

Heading to Memphis might not be the best place for the defending NBA champs to try to fix that.

Dallas continues a busy stretch of its schedule Wednesday night when the surging Grizzlies open the second half eyeing a season-high fifth straight home win.

Winners of seven of nine heading into the break, the Mavericks (21-14) lost 93-92 at home to New Jersey on Tuesday to finish its three-game stretch in Dallas with one win.

The Mavs shot 36.0 percent from the field, missing 14 consecutive field goals at one point.

"It was brutal, like the whole game. We were off. We couldn't make a shot," Dirk Nowitzki said after scoring 24 points on 7-of-19 shooting. "It was ugly, ball-handling and shooting. Everything was sloppy. It was a tough night. It wasn't the way we wanted to start this off, with a loss a home."

Dallas, which plays eight games in the next 11 days, begins a stretch of six of eight away from home. It will be the first of two trips to Memphis in 2011-12.

The Mavs' last game at FedExForum, an 89-70 loss Jan. 15, 2011, was one they'd probably like to forget. With Nowitzki back following a nine-game absence with a sprained right knee, Dallas shot a season-low 32.4 percent in its lowest scoring game of the season.

Nowitzki was ejected in that contest for arguing a foul call, and the Grizzlies capitalized on his third-period departure with their best defensive effort of 2010-11.

Memphis (19-15) has held its opponents to 91.8 points per game while winning 13 of 18 at home this season. The Grizzlies, a season-high four games over .500, will try to defend FedExForum again and win for the eighth time in 10 games overall.

That's a major accomplishment considering All-Star forward Zach Randolph has missed the last 30 games with a torn MCL.

Memphis has won 18 of those contests following last Wednesday's 89-76 victory over Atlantic Division-leading Philadelphia.

"I think a lot of us don't understand how well we've done for ourselves without having Zach there," point guard Mike Conley said. "He's a big part of our team going forward and last season in the playoffs. With his absence, still being in the hunt and in the playoffs like we are is amazing."

What's even better news for Conley, Rudy Gay, All-Star center Marc Gasol and the rest of the Grizzlies is that Randolph participated in the non-contact portion of Monday's practice and could return soon.

The Mavericks are likely glad they won't be facing Randolph, who averaged 24.3 points and 12.7 rebounds in three games against them in 2010-11.

In the teams' last matchup, Randolph hit a jumper with 0.3 seconds left to give the Grizzlies a 104-103 victory in Dallas on March 6.

Memphis went 3-1 against the Mavericks in 2010-11, posting its first season series win over Dallas. The Mavericks have won 54 of 67 against the Grizzlies, including the playoffs.

If Memphis can extend its home winning streak to five - the team last accomplished that during a 6-0 run from March 14-April 2 - it will match a franchise record with a third consecutive victory over Dallas.

Gasol, Conley lead Grizzlies past Mavericks 96-85

Posted Mar 01 2012 12:09AM

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) The Memphis Grizzlies wanted to make sure they maintained the momentum they had before the All-Star break.

They did it by turning back the defending champion Mavericks on Wednesday night - albeit with Dallas getting little production from Dirk Nowitzki, who left with a balky back.

Marc Gasol had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Mike Conley added 20 points and 10 assists as the Grizzlies won 96-85 in their first game after the All-Star break.

"We all told each before the break that when we came back, it was a sprint to the finish line," Conley said. "Each game is going to be big, especially starting off against the defending champions. I thought we showed we were hungry and wanted to get off to a good start."

Rudy Gay added 18 points for Memphis, despite hitting just eight of his 19 shots. Dante Cunningham was 5 of 6 from the field and scored 10 points as the Grizzlies won their fifth straight home game and their eighth in the last 10 overall.

Jason Terry led the Mavericks with 18 points, while Rodrigue Beaubois scored 16. Brendan Haywood had 10 points for Dallas, which lost its third straight.

The Mavericks played most of the game without Nowitzki, who averages 19.7 points a game. Nowitzki scored only one point before leaving early in the second quarter with lower back tightness. He did not return.

"He felt something in warmups and tried to play," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said. "He clearly wasn't moving the way he needed to be moving, so we pulled the plug."

The Mavericks also were without Lamar Odom, who missed his third game for personal reasons, and Delonte West, who is out with a fractured right ring finger.

"I thought we had some good stretches," Carlisle said. "Our second quarter was great. The start of the third was OK. Then, in the third, we had some opportunities to score, but couldn't cash in. Then they made a run."

Memphis led by as many as 15 in the second half and maintained a nine- to 11-point lead most of the way down the stretch.

Beaubois gave the Mavericks good minutes off the bench in the first half scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. He was part of the Mavericks hitting 13 of their 20 shots in the second quarter, taking a 49-47 lead into halftime.

Memphis built the lead to as many as 10 early in the second period, but Dallas outscored the Grizzlies 32-22 in the quarter.

"It was slippage," Memphis guard Tony Allen said of the second quarter. "Coach (Lionel Hollins) came to the sideline, threw that clipboard down, and I think guys looked at that as a time to respond."

Both teams shot well in the half, Dallas connecting on 54 percent of its shots, the Grizzlies hitting at a 50 percent clip. But the Mavericks were hampered by 10 turnovers.

Gasol led Memphis with 12 points in the half.

The Mavericks extended the lead with four points from Haywood to open the second half, but Conley sparked Memphis to retake the lead. The Grizzlies relied on their defense to compose an 18-2 run in the period.

"When you've got five guys out there focused on the defensive end, great things happen," Allen said. "We got deflections, steals, we kind of won the 50-50 balls."

The defensive stance and the rally weren't enough to hold Dallas completely at bay, however, as the Mavericks picked their way back. Still, Memphis led 74-67 entering the final quarter.

"The third quarter definitely put them in a great position to win the game," Haywood said. "They had a good run. In the second half of the third quarter, we were really on a tough drought where we couldn't really get good shots or just get a good offensive feel."

Memphis opened the fourth with four straight baskets, including a pair by Gasol, to reach its biggest lead at 82-67.

"I think our tempo was better in the second half," Conley said. "Defensively, we did a great job on them, running them off the 3-point line, getting out in transition, playing our style of defense. Getting steals and getting out and getting easy buckets.

"When we play in a comfortable zone like that, we're hard to beat."

Notes: The Mavericks were playing the second game in a run of nine in 12 nights. ... Grizzlies G Josh Selby, recalled from Reno, after the All-Star break, was used as a backup to Conley at point guard, displacing Jeremy Pargo. ... The Mavericks' 17 points in the first quarter matched Dallas' season low for the opening period. ... Memphis F Quincy Pondexter had a career-high eight rebounds.

Notebook: Grizzlies 96, Mavericks 85

Posted Wednesday February 29, 2012 11:53PM

By L. Jason Smith, for NBA.com

THE FACTS: Center Marc Gasol had 22 points and 11 rebounds and point guard Mike Conley had 20 points, 10 assists and four steals to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 96-85 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday at FedExForum. It was Grizzlies' eighth win in their last 10 games and pushed them to a season-high five games over .500 at 20-15. Reserve guard Jason Terry's 18 points led Dallas (21-15), which lost star forward Dirk Nowitzki for the game in the second quarter to back tightness. Nowitzki, whose Mavericks dropped their their straight game, finished with one point in 9 1/2 minutes.

QUOTABLE: "I just like the carryover from practice. I mean, we were getting after it in practice (Tuesday) and the day before that. Guys came in (after the All-Star break) ready to work. Great focus from start to finish, except for that second quarter (when Dallas outscored the Grizzlies 32-22)."
-- Guard Tony Allen on the Grizzlies picking up where they left off before the break. Memphis held Dallas to 18 or fewer points in each of the other three quarters.

THE STAT: Though Nowitzki clearly wasn't himself before leaving the game in the second quarter, Dallas' starters combined for just 35 points on 15-of-37 shooting. Gasol, Conley and Gay (18 points, seven rebounds) combined for 60 themselves on 23-of-45 shooting.

TURNING POINT: After a hot-shooting second quarter put Dallas ahead 49-47 at the break, the Mavericks took their biggest lead of the game (55-49) on center Brendan Haywood's 11-footer a little more than three minutes into the third quarter. But Memphis took over from there, outscoring Dallas 18-2 over the next five minutes. The Mavericks went eight consecutive possessions without scoring. Conley and reserve Quincy Pondexter (10 points) combined to score 12 points during the run.

QUOTABLE II: "He had a back issue. He felt something in warm-ups and tried to play. He clearly wasn't moving the way he needed to be moving, so we pulled the plug. So he'll get treatment and we'll see where we are Friday."
-- Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle on Nowitzki's status.

HOT: Gasol kept up his All-Star-level play, going 8-of-14 from the floor and adding five assists and four blocks to go with his 22 points and 11 rebounds. Gasol is averaging career highs this season in points, rebounds, assists, blocks and minutes.

NOT: After shooting 54.1 percent (20-of-37) over the game's first two quarters, Dallas shot just 35.7 percent (15-of-42) in the second half. Mavericks forward Shawn Marion and guard Jason Kidd combined to go 6-of-19 from the floor.

NOTABLE: Memphis has won three straight over Dallas and seven of its last 11 against its Southwest Division foe. Before that, the Grizzlies had been 7-46 all-time against the Mavericks. ... Besides not having Nowitzki for most of the game's final three quarters, Dallas was also without forward Lamar Odom, who sat out his third straight game for personal reasons. "You go with the guys you got," said Carlisle, whose Mavericks continue a tough stretch of nine games in 12 days Friday at New Orleans.

UP NEXT: For the Grizzlies, Friday at Toronto, Saturday vs. Detroit, Wednesday at Golden State. For the Mavericks, Friday at New Orleans, Saturday vs. Utah, Monday at Oklahoma City.

• Mavericks: West, Williams
• Grizzlies: Arthur, Randolph

• Mavericks: --
• Grizzlies: --

• Lead Changes: 8
• Times Tied: 7

• Arena: FedExForum, Memphis, TN
• Officials: #27 Dick Bavetta, #12 Violet Palmer, #33 Zach Zarba
• Attendance: 17023
• Duration: 2:15