After its worst loss of the season on Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks bounced back in big way on Friday night, defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 97-88. With the victory, the Mavericks (15-12) move into sole possession of fifth place in the Western Conference.
Led by a vintage performance from forward Dirk Nowitzki, who finished the game with 20 points and five rebounds, Dallas overcame a slow start that included a 2 of 13 start from the field.
More importantly for the Mavericks, its other cast of characters got into the action. Center Zaza Pachulia recorded his 15th double-double of the season and five other Mavericks ended in double figures. Sparked by center Javale McGee off the bench, who had perhaps his best game in a Dallas uniform, McGee gave the Mavericks a presence above the rim and an ability to defend the paint.
“He was a big difference maker in this game,” head coach Rick Carlisle said. “There are situations where he is going to fit, and tonight was one of them. Javale has such great length, and is such a smart guy. He made a huge impact on the game on both ends of the court.”
It was an offensive struggle all game for Memphis (14-14), as the Grizzlies managed just 37.5 percent shooting from the field. As a result, all of its starters had a negative plus minus rating and none shot the ball particularly well.
The difference in the game came in the second quarter, when Dallas outscored Memphis 30 to 23 and grabbed its first lead of the night, and one it would ultimately not relinquish.
Forward Chandler Parsons had another good night coming off the bench and gave the Mavericks solid production, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds.
“I felt good,” Parsons said. “It’s important to get in a rhythm like that where everything comes easy.”
Parsons said his recent switch to the sixth man role was done solely to give the starting unit a different look and hopefully break Dallas out of a funk.
“It wasn’t about [taking the pressure off me],” Parsons said. “I hated not playing in the fourth quarter, so it just made sense for us to do this. Whatever it takes for us to win games.”
The Mavericks lead grew to as much as 18 points in the second half and were aided by guys like forward Charlie Villanueva and guard JJ Barea, who made critical baskets down the stretch. Nowitzki said the win felt good and was one they desperately needed to have, especially with a tough road trip looming.
“We haven’t played particularly well and we lost some games we felt like we shouldn’t have,” Nowtizki said. “This was a game we all wanted.”
You must be logged in to post a comment Login
You must log in to post a comment.