The Mavs finish a three-game homestand tonight as they face the Memphis Grizzlies. Coming up short against Minnesota 110-108, with the missed buzzer beater by Jalen Brunson, tonight is the first of a back-to-back with the “Grind City” team. This game will have serious draft lottery implications but don’t expect either team to throw this game away.

Tankathon Time

Dallas and Memphis find themselves with identical records 31-47 going into tonight’s contest. With both teams hoping for the best lottery odds, tonight’s winner will most likely lose the 6th spot in the lottery standings with only a handful of games left. Officially neither team is tanking rather this is a natural way of losing via injury or players resting.

It’s also hard to envision the Mavs losing on purpose after blowing out the Warriors, beating the 76ers and Thunder, then almost taking Minnesota down at the buzzer. If Dallas had lost these games which were expected, they could be in the #5 spot for the draft lottery. It’s never fun to watch your team lose or even for those who wish for it. But perhaps the Basketball God’s will be kind when the ping pong balls are bouncing this summer. The team is trying to compete the right way and Dallas has never won anything in the lottery, it’s their time right?

Resurgence of The Mej

Over the past few games, Salah Mejri, has made an appearance in every game via dunks, blocks, cleaning the glass, or shooting threes. That’s right, The Mej is swishing it from downtown, shooting 33% from deep over the last three games. His energy has been contagious and a big reason the Mavericks have been so competitive lately. No, his numbers won’t jump out at you even with the recent play, he is just averaging 10.6 points and 7.6 rebounds on 59% FG shooting. What he brings to the game doesn’t always show up on the stat sheet but it’s clear when watching the game what impact he has.

With a team that is set up to make moves the 2019-2020 season, it’s nice to see a fan favorite show out. He is a fierce competitor while clearly enjoying being out on the court. Tune in tonight to see what else The Mej and the Mavs will do.