Recap: Mavericks 85 at Grizzlies 96

Recap: Mavericks 85 at Grizzlies 96

Earl K. Sneed reports from Memphis and recaps the Dallas Mavericks' road loss to the division rival Grizzlies as the defending champs fell for a third straight game.

MEMPHIS — Less than 24 hours after having their hearts broken following a last-second 93-92 loss at home to the New Jersey Nets, the defending champion Dallas Mavericks returned to the hardwood looking for a different result. It wouldn't be the result they were hoping for, however.

Playing the second matchup in a stretch of nine games in 12 days, the Mavericks entered the FedExForum for a Southwest Division matchup against the Memphis Grizzlies in search of their first win after the All-Star break. The team also looked to get off to a better start after rallying from a 13-point deficit before eventually falling to the Nets.

“More than anything, we’ve got to understand that every possession at the beginning of a game is meaningful at the end,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle said before the divisional showdown. “When we win the first half, we win at an alarmingly high rate. And when we lose the first half of games, we’re 1-9 on the year and that’s pretty telling.”

Wednesday night, with the shorthanded Mavericks already playing without newcomers Delonte West (fractured right ring finger) and Lamar Odom (family matters), the team still managed to lead at the halftime break even after their leading scorer left the game earlier in the first half. But with 11-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki sidelined down the stretch due to lower back tightness, the Mavericks (21-15) fell to their third straight defeat after a 96-85 loss.

“We’re already down without L.O. and without D-West, we’re on a tough stretch and we need every win, but you don’t want to make things worse,” Nowitzki said after sitting out the second half of the loss for precautionary reasons. “If I’m out there 50 percent, I’m not helping much anyway. So, it was best to take the night off.”

Battling a 1-of-5 start from the field, the Mavericks used defense to generate their offense in the early going of the opening period. The team also used a 9-0 run to take a slight edge after falling behind by as much as five. But with Rudy Gay matching Mavs newcomer Vince Carter basket for basket, the Grizzlies used a 13-3 spurt of their own to regain the momentum, taking a 25-17 advantage into the second stanza.

Already down two of their main contributors and on the scoreboard, matters would get worse for the Mavs when Nowitzki headed for the locker room after just scoring one point on 0-for-1 shooting with 11:09 left in the first half.

“[Nowitzki] had a back issue, felt something in warmups, tried to play and then clearly wasn’t moving the way he needed to be moving, so we pulled the plug,” Carlisle explained. “And he’ll get treatment and we’ll see where we’re at Friday. … We’re missing some other guys, too, and this is one of the realities of this league. You go with the guys you’ve got.”

“My back locked up a little bit and got stiff,” Nowitzki explained. “I came back, tried to loosen it up and play the game, but it wasn’t really loosening up to try and do something. I came back for some treatment and was hoping maybe in the second half, but just wasn’t good enough to really make an impact out there. So, we decided to shut it down.”

With their go-to scorer’s return ruled questionable, the Mavs leaned on third-year guard Rodrigue Beaubois to get back in the game. And after gaining a slight lead with a three-guard lineup of Beaubois, Jason Kidd and Jason Terry, the Mavs headed into the halftime intermission with a 49-47 edge.

The Dallas team outscored the Grizzlies in the painted area, 34-28, through two quarters. Led by Beaubois’ 12 points all in the second quarter on 5-of-8 shooting, the Mavs also outshot the Grizzlies (20-15) through 24 minutes of play, 54.1 percent to 50 percent.

“I just kept pushing myself,” Beaubois said after just his second outing since missing five games due to a personal issue. “But then in the second half, I was out of gas. … I have to fight through it and get back in shape. But tonight, for sure, I felt it.”

“I loved his aggression — driving the ball, making plays,” Carlisle said of Beaubois’ play. “He got other guys involved, he scored and he caused problems. Second half, he did some good things, but he got a little tired in the second half. This is two games in a row after a 10-day layoff with a family situation and that’s tough. But he gave us what he could give us and I thought he got better tonight.”

With Nowitzki still in the locker room, Carlisle inserted Beaubois into the lineup next to Kidd, Carter, Shawn Marion and Brendan Haywood. But it was Haywood that gave the Mavs a quick lift as the third quarter got underway with his inside presence. Still, once Nowitzki was officially ruled out for the remainder of the night and listed as day-to-day, the Grizzlies took control of the game and the scoreboard behind big man Marc Gasol and lead guard Mike Conley.

Mavs backup big man Yi Jianlian then ignited a 10-2 Dallas run, but the visiting squad still faced a 74-67 deficit entering the final period.

“The third quarter definitely put them in a great position to win the game,” Haywood explained. “They went on a good run and the second part of the third quarter we really went through a tough drought where we couldn’t really get off a good shot and just get a good offensive feel.”

“We were stagnant and we weren’t doing what got us the lead in the first place,” Terry added. “We’ve got to stick with what works when we’re having success, regardless of who’s on the floor.”

With their undisputed leader out for the night, the Mavericks could generate little offense to keep up with high-octane Grizzlies down the stretch. Meanwhile, Carlisle was forced to call timeout following an alley-oop finish by Gay to put Memphis up 80-67 with 9:25 left. But after falling behind by as much as 15, the Mavs showed they still had a pulse as back-to-back threes by Kidd and Terry cut the disadvantage to 82-73 with 6:17 remaining.

“We’ve got to keep playing. We’ve got enough veteran guys in here that know how to win,” Kidd explained.

Still, even after a stretch of nine straight points by Terry, the Mavs never got any closer than seven down. Carlisle then conceded defeat after pulling his main contributors with 1:02 remaining.

Off the bench, Terry finished with a team-high 18 points and Beaubois added 16 of his own. Haywood was the only starter in double figures with 10 points.

Gasol led all scorers with 22 points to go along with 11 rebounds, while Conley recorded 20 points and 10 assists and Gay pitched in 18 points. Overcoming 17 turnovers for 19 Dallas points, the Grizzlies forced 12 steals which led to 18 Dallas giveaways, turning the Mavs’ miscues into 19 points at the other end. The Grizzlies also finished the game outshooting the Mavs, 48.8 percent to 44.3 percent, in addition to a 42-34 rebounding advantage, a 62-52 edge in points in the paint and 15-8 margin in second-chance points.

“It was a tough night and we’ve got to regroup and get ready for Friday,” Carlisle concluded.

The Mavericks will now take Thursday off after heading to New Orleans before a third divisional matchup against the Hornets on Friday night. After receiving treatment, Nowitzki hopes to be able to play when Dallas looks for the season sweep, leading the series 2-0. The Mavericks-Hornets matchup will conclude a two-game road trip and will air locally at 7 p.m. CT on Fox Sports Southwest.

“Hopefully I get some good treatment tomorrow and have a big game Friday,” Nowitzki said as he tries to battle back from the minor injury. “We’ve been struggling and we need a win Friday, so hopefully I’ll be 100 percent.”

Note: The Mavs return to the American Airlines Center Saturday night for a third showdown against the Utah Jazz. Dallas leads the season series 2-0. The game will air locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 7:30 p.m. CT. Tickets are still available and can be purchased by calling (214) 747-MAVS.

Single-game tickets are on sale and available at the American Airlines Center North Box Office, online at mavs.com, via phone by calling 214-747-MAVS or 1-800-4NBA-TIX and all Ticketmaster outlets (Fiesta Grocery Stores, Wal-Mart, Simon Mall in Garland and the Shops at Willow Bend in Plano).