Grizzlies-Mavericks Preview

By NICOLINO DIBENEDETTO
Posted Jan 12 2013 2:03AM

The Memphis Grizzlies are on a roll, and the venue hasn't made much of a difference.

On the brink of their longest road winning streak in three seasons, the Grizzlies go for another victory against the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night.

Memphis (24-10) has put together four-game winning streaks both overall and on the road to move within 1 1/2 games of Southwest Division-leading San Antonio.

The Grizzlies got closer to the Spurs by beating them 101-98 in overtime at home Friday. Rudy Gay put them ahead for good on a jumper with 27.8 seconds to play in the extra session after Tony Parker forced OT with a 3-pointer at the fourth-quarter buzzer.

"It was a good test of our mental toughness and our togetherness because we did stick together," coach Lionel Hollins said. "We kept operating efficiently offensively, and nobody really tried to go off on their own, and we got the win."

That's a big reason Memphis is finding success on the road and in position for its longest winning streak as the visitor since reeling off seven straight road victories Feb. 17-March 10, 2010.

Memphis is 6-27 all-time at Dallas, dropping the most recent visit 95-85 on April 4. However, that's the Grizzlies' only defeat in the past six overall matchups, and they beat the Mavericks 92-82 behind 26 points from Gay on Dec. 21.

Another strong performance from the forward could be just what the Grizzlies need. He leads the team with 17.9 points per game, and he hit 10 of 20 field goals to finish with 23 points Friday, three shy of his combined total from the previous two games.

Gay wasn't very productive at Dallas in April, managing eight points - less than half his average in 10 career games at the American Airlines Center.

Zach Randolph also struggled in that matchup, mustering four points and five rebounds, but he's entering this meeting averaging 18.8 points on 60.8 percent shooting in his last four contests.

The Mavericks (14-23) are trying to win back-to-back games for the first time since a three-game winning streak Dec. 6-10. They're 3-13 since, surrendering an average of 106.8 points in that stretch, although they ended a four-game skid by beating Sacramento 117-112 in overtime on the road Thursday.

"Once it got to overtime, we said, 'We're going to win this game,'" said forward Shawn Marion, who had 19 points and 10 rebounds. "It's a baby step in the right direction. We just got to keep crawling."

O.J. Mayo had 24 points, a season-high 10 rebounds and five assists Thursday after averaging 14.7 points on 34.8 percent shooting - 3 for 21 from beyond the arc - over the previous three contests.

The guard may have some extra motivation to build on his latest effort.

Mayo was drafted third overall by the Grizzlies in 2008, and averaged 18.5 points to lead all rookies that season. That remains his career high, however, and he was used exclusively as a reserve by Memphis last season before joining the Mavs as a free agent in the summer.

Mayo is leading Dallas with 18.4 points per game, but he struggled greatly in his return to Memphis last month, making 3 of 11 from the floor and finishing with 10 points.

Vince Carter had 14 points and seven boards in that meeting, and he's coming off a 23-point performance Thursday.

Marion leads Mavs in 104-83 win over Grizzlies

By SCHUYLER DIXON
Posted Jan 13 2013 1:09AM

DALLAS (AP) Dirk Nowitzki is coming along gradually. Maybe the Dallas Mavericks are, too.

Nowitzki scored 17 points and was one of three Dallas starters who didn't miss from 3-point range, and Shawn Marion had a season-high 20 to lead the Mavericks to consecutive wins for the first time in a month with a 104-83 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.

The Mavericks, three days removed from dropping 10 games under .500 for the first time in 13 years, beat a team with a winning record for just the fourth time this season. They did it soundly, too, taking their first 30-point lead of the season and coasting through the fourth quarter.

"It's the kind of game we need," Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said. "We need more of these, but they're hard to come by."

The Grizzlies were ragged a night after a big overtime win against Southwest Division-leading San Antonio. Memphis shot 38 percent and Rudy Gay was the only starter in double figures, in part because all five of them sat out the entire fourth quarter. Gay led the Grizzlies with 12 points.

"We didn't have maybe one, maybe one-and-a-half starter that could bring it," Memphis coach Lionel Hollins said. "Our focus and concentration wasn't there."

All five starters scored in double figures for Dallas, with Chris Kaman stringing together eight straight in the third quarter and finishing with 14. O.J. Mayo had 11 and Darren Collison 10.

The Mavericks were 11 of 17 from 3-point range, and the starters made eight of nine. Nowitzki hit three, Mayo two and Collison had one. Marion was the only starter to miss, going 2 of 3.

"Taking small steps, but that was big against one of the top teams in the league," Mayo said. "They were tired and beat up from a tough game last night and we put it on them."

Nowitzki had another solid night after Mavericks owner Mark Cuban said earlier he wasn't trading his star forward despite the team's struggles. Dallas hadn't won consecutive games since taking three straight from Dec. 6-10, the last time the Mavericks were over .500.

The 7-foot German, who missed the first 27 games of his 15th NBA season after the first knee surgery of his career, scored in double figures for the seventh straight game after struggling in limited minutes through the first four.

Nowitzki's last 3-pointer - all net from the top of the key - made it 95-65 early in the fourth quarter after Elton Brand, who had 10 points and a team-high nine rebounds, had put the Mavericks up 30 late in the third.

"It felt good to be on the other side of a blowout win," Nowitzki said. "I thought we really from the beginning set a good tone. We gave them nothing easy."

Marion had 12 points in the first half and Nowitzki added 11 while the Mavericks built a 15-point lead behind 53-percent shooting, including 6 of 8 from 3-point range. Marion and Nowitzki combined to make 14 of 21 shots for the game.

"Being aggressive and just picking my shots," said Marion, who had a season high for the second straight game after scoring 19 in an overtime win at Sacramento on Thursday. "I have been really trying to get my teammates going and in the process get myself going."

Collison put the Mavericks ahead for good with a first-quarter layup that started a 17-4 run for a 30-18 lead early in the second quarter. The Mavericks, who have lost eight games by 20 points, led by double digits the rest of the game.

Nowitzki's second 3-pointer early in the second half was followed by Kaman's streak of eight straight points, capped by a reverse layup that put Dallas ahead 65-45 with 8:12 left in the third.

With Dallas leading by 26 to start the fourth quarter, Gay, Zach Randolph and Marc Gasol were all on the bench in another bad loss in Texas for the Grizzlies. Memphis was beaten by 25 at Houston last month.

Randolph, who entered the game leading the NBA with 24 double-doubles, had six points and four rebounds.

NOTES: Memphis coach Lionel Hollins reiterated comments from a day earlier that he'd like to keep the Grizzlies together with Gay's name consistently turning up in trade rumors. The trade deadline is Feb. 21. Hollins says the Grizzlies are "legitimate contenders." "That's usually when you're trying to get there, you win a lot of games but you don't do well against the contenders. You might win one or two. But we've been able to compete with every last one of them," Hollins said. Memphis beat division-leading San Antonio in overtime on Friday. ... The Mavericks snapped an NBA record-tying 10-game losing streak in overtime games with Thursday's 117-112 win at Sacramento. ... The Mavericks had nine turnovers, ending Memphis' NBA-best streak of 138 straight games of forcing at least 10 turnovers.

Notebook: Mavericks 104, Grizzlies 83

Dave Ivey, for NBA.com
Posted Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:24 AM - Updated Sun Jan 13, 2013 12:24 AM

THE FACTS: Shawn Marion and the Dallas Mavericks sprinted past the sluggish Memphis Grizzlies for a stunning 104-83 victory Saturday night at the American Airlines Center. Marion scored a season-high 20 points as the Mavericks (15-23) snapped their four-game home losing streak and halted a four-game winning streak by the Grizzlies (24-11).

Dallas finished 11-for-17 from 3-point distance and outscored Memphis 21-2 in fastbreak points through the first three quarters. Every Mavericks starter scored in double figures. Dirk Nowitzki had 17, Chris Kaman had 14, O.J. Mayo scored 11 against his former team and Darren Collison chipped in 10 points, six assists and four steals. Reserve Elton Brand added 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Grizzlies, coming off an overtime win last night in Memphis against San Antonio, trailed by as many as 34 points and were held to 38.1 percent shooting. Rudy Gay was the only Memphis starter in double figures with 12 points, while Dallas native Darrell Arthur tallied 11 points and a team-high nine boards off the bench.

Memphis had held 32 of its last 33 opponents under 100 points. The exception was a 121-96 loss at Houston on Dec. 22, also the second night of a back-to-back.

QUOTABLE: "Our energy for most of the game was good. It was clear that they were lacking some energy from their game last night -- overtime, emotional, all of those things. We needed to take advantage of that and we did."

-- Dallas head coach Rick Carlisle

THE STAT: The Mavericks only committed nine turnovers, matching a season low. That snapped the Grizzlies' streak at 138 consecutive games of forcing 10 or more turnovers, by far the longest streak in the NBA.

TURNING POINT: Dallas pulled away in the second quarter by shooting 58.8 percent (10-for-17) from the field and 4-for-5 behind the arc, getting 3-pointers from Marion, Nowitzki, Vince Carter and rookie Jae Crowder and taking a 54-39 lead into the locker room.

QUOTABLE II: "We just didn't have it tonight. We didn't have maybe one, maybe one-and-a-half starter that could bring it. Our focus and concentration wasn't there."

-- Memphis head coach Lionel Hollins

HOT: Nowitzki was 3-for-3 from 3-point range. Mayo was 2-for-2 and Marion went 2-for-3.

NOT: Nowitzki was just 4-for-7 at the free-throw line and is shooting 72.2 percent (26-for-36) this season after missing the first 27 games following knee surgery. Most players would be happy with that, but not Nowitzki. The 11-time All-Star finished in the top 10 in the league in free-throw shooting in nine of the past 10 seasons and has cleared 90 percent in three of the last seven campaigns. ... Zach Randolph had season lows in points (six) and rebounds (four).

NOTABLE: It was the Mavericks' first win at home since Dec. 18 against Philadelphia. They play four of their next five at the AAC. ... Dallas is 13-5 when shooting at least 45 percent from the field. ... The Mavericks' 34-point lead at 102-68 was their largest at any point this season. ... The Grizzlies scored the fewest first-half points by any Dallas opponent this season (39). ... Memphis had won four straight on the road. ... The Grizzlies grabbed 14 offensive rebounds, but turned them into just eight second-chance points. ... Dallas is 28-6 all-time at home against Memphis.

UP NEXT: For the Mavericks, Monday vs. Minnesota, Wednesday vs. Houston, Friday vs. Oklahoma City. For the Grizzlies, Monday vs. L.A. Clippers, Wednesday @

• Grizzlies: Wroten
• Mavericks: Cunningham, Jones

• Grizzlies: --
• Mavericks: --

• Lead Changes: 2
• Times Tied: 2

• Arena: American Airlines Center, Dallas, TX
• Officials: #8 Marc Davis, #42 Eric Lewis, #29 Mark Lindsay
• Attendance: 19984
• Duration: 2:12