After a tough overtime win over the Pelicans on Wednesday night, the Mavericks needed something a little easier to digest on Friday night. The currently eighth seeded Memphis Grizzlies came to town looking to steal another game from Dallas at the AAC after handing it to the Mavs back on February 5th.

The Mavericks led 61-49 at halftime, but this team has proven on multiple occasions that no lead is truly safe. Dallas made a statement in the third quarter Friday night that the double-digit halftime lead would be more than enough by outscoring the Grizzlies 34-16 to push their lead out to to 30 at the end of three quarters. The last time the Grizzlies came to town and handily beat Dallas 121-107 on February 5th, Memphis won the third quarter 41-22 to deflate the entire American Airlines Center. Rick Carlisle and the Mavs knew they couldn’t allow something similar to happen tonight.

“This (Memphis) is a great third quarter team. They really hit us hard in the third quarter last time and we did a much better job tonight. Our concentration was good, our defense was good, and we were scoring.”

Dallas was able to coast in the fourth quarter and Luka Doncic was able to play just 30 minutes on the night after averaging over 38 minutes a game over the last four games.

Kristaps Porzingis continued his dominant stretch of basketball with a 26 point/11 rebound double-double that included a few highlight-worthy dunks.

"You want me to bring the hammer down?" – T̶h̶o̶r̶ Kristaps Porzingis

📼 @dallasmavs pic.twitter.com/kL3Tut6SKH

— #RingerNBA (@ringernba) March 7, 2020

Porzingis also added four blocks on the night and is now averaging 4.7 swats per night in three March contests. His head coach is certainly noticing the work he’s putting in on the defensive end.

“Porzingis was terrific. Everyone’s caught up in the offensive stats, but for me it’s a combination of his offensive production and what’s doing defensively and rebounding. With the rim protection, shot changing and defensive rebounding, he’s put together a tremendous three weeks of basketball.”

Since the All-Star break, Porzingis is averaging 27 points, 11 rebounds, 3 blocks and 3 assists with a 48/39/78 shooting splits. It has been a revelation for a Mavericks team looking to gain momentum as they march towards the playoffs.

Injuries continuing to stack up
With the extended absence of Dwight Powell and Jalen Brunson, the Mavericks have already been going into battle shorthanded on a nightly basis. The injury bug has not been kind to the team as of late as Friday night saw Tim Hardaway Jr. have to miss the game due to an illness that kept him from even sitting on the bench with the team and a hip injury that forced Dorian Finney-Smith to miss his first game of the season.

Things got worse during game when Seth Curry left the court with an ankle injury in the second quarter. It was announced by the Mavs PR team that he’d be eligible to return after halftime, but after warming up and not feeling quite right, Curry ended up not playing in the second half.  Rick Carlisle was able to provide some encouraging clarification after the game that none of the trio of Hardaway Jr., Finney-Smith or Curry seem to be likely to miss extended time with their injuries.

“I think there’s a good chance we’ll get Dorian back Sunday… Hopefully we’ll get (Tim) back Sunday… Seth doesn’t appear to be serious, but he’s sore. How he feels tomorrow will go a long way towards whether he may or may not be available Sunday. This is why you build a deep roster.”

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Extra Notes
Friday night’s win secured a four game home winning-streak for the Mavs for the first time since a Raptors/Spurs/Warriors/Cavaliers swept homestand from November 16th through 22nd… Rookie of the Year frontrunner Ja Morant had a very forgettable game with just 11 points on 4-11 shooting and 8 turnovers… The Mavericks still remain half a game back of the sixth place Thunder in the standings after both teams won on Friday night. If the playoff began today, the seventh-seeded Mavs would face the second place Clippers in the first round.