The Memphis Grizzlies stayed undefeated in games in which they’ve broken the century mark this season as they held off the Dallas Mavericks 110-96 at FedExForum on Tuesday night.
The Grizz (8-7) were able to pull away in the third quarter, recording a season-high 36 points, before holding off the Mavericks’ (9-6) comeback attempt in the fourth frame.
Memphis also dominated the battle in the paint, outscoring the Mavericks by 26, 48-22.
Jeff Green exploded in the second half for 11 points at a 5-for-7 clip, including a three-pointer. He’d finish the game with 19 points and seven rebounds.
Mike Conley led all scorers with 21 points and added six assists while never turning the ball over. Marc Gasol recorded another double-double with a 15-point, 10-rebound performance.
In his first start in a Grizzlies uniform, swingman Matt Barnes played the power forward position and scored 16 points, including three three-pointers. He also grabbed seven rebounds, tied for second on the team behind Gasol.
In all, seven Grizzlies scored in double figures to help topple the Mavs.
Dallas got a boost from its bench, as J.J. Barea and Raymond Felton each scored 16 points to lead the team. Felton scored 14 points in the fourth quarter alone, and knocked down all four of his three-point attempts in the final frame.
The Grizzlies defense hounded the Mavericks into 39.0 percent shooting, and not even 13-time All-Star Dirk Nowitzki was spared. He was held to 14 points on 5-for-15 shooting, though he and center Zaza Pachulia both grabbed 10 boards and earned double-doubles.
Dallas took its only lead in the game off of a Nowitzki jumper on their second shot of the game, but Tony Allen quickly evened the score on the other end with 11 minutes remaining in the first period.
Only 30 seconds later the Grizzlies would take the lead for good when Gasol found Conley cutting for a lay-up to make it 4-2. The two would go back and forth in the first period with Memphis getting the lead as large as 14, and then the Mavericks cutting it down to three. However, Memphis would use a 7-0 run in the last 1:30, capped by a Conley three-pointer right before time expired, to take a 46-36 lead to the break.
The Grizzlies would expand their lead in the third quarter, not allowing the Mavericks within single digits. Holding a 68-56 lead with 3:15 to play in the third, a Jeff Green tip-slam would ignite a 14-4 run, helping Memphis blow the game open and take a 22-point lead.
The Mavericks would try to make a furious comeback early in the fourth quarter, going on a 19-7 run in the opening six minutes to get within 10, forcing a timeout, but they would get no closer. The Mavs fouled Allen over the final few minutes in an effort to get the game closer, but the veteran knocked down 6-of-8 attempts from the line to thwart Dallas’ plan.
Memphis heads to Houston for the second game of a back-to-back Wednesday night. The Grizzlies defeated the Rockets 96-84 only four days ago at FedExForum. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and fans can catch the game on the radio on 92.9 FM ESPN, or on television on FOX Sports Southeast.
