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Ja Morant returned after missing two games with a shoulder injury to score 31 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies to a 122-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks. The victory snapped a four-game losing streak for the Grizzlies, who are in a four-team battle for the No. 2 seed in the Western Conference standings.
Coming into Friday’s game, Memphis had lost eight of its past 11 games, dropping the team to the No. 4 spot in the West at 38-24, just a half-game ahead of the Houston Rockets. The Grizzlies haven’t won two consecutive games since a four-game winning streak from Jan. 30-Feb. 5. Those four wins were part of a stretch during which Memphis won 10 of 11.
The Grizzlies’ next few opponents include three of the NBA’s worst teams in the New Orleans Pelicans (17-46), Phoenix Suns (29-33) and Utah Jazz (15-48). That could allow them to string together some wins before a matchup with the NBA-best Cleveland Cavaliers (52-10).
Desmond Bane added 27 points with 16 rebounds for Memphis, followed by 17 points and eight boards from Brandon Clarke. Rookie Zach Edey grabbed 10 offensive rebounds and 13 in total.
Morant struggled with his outside shot, perhaps because of his shoulder, shooting 1-of-5 on 3-pointers, but dished out eight assists. He joked to ESPN’s Cassidy Hubbarth during a postgame interview that he “got some help” in playing through the injury, but he was “ready to go sit down.”
Despite losing five of their past six and playing without key players like Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis due to injuries, the Mavericks put up a fight and looked as if they might extend Memphis’ losing streak to five. Dallas ended the first quarter with a 31-22 lead and held on to a three-point margin at the half. Dante Exum hit a deep 3-pointer at the end of the third that made it appear that fortune was on the Mavs’ side.
A win would have helped the Mavericks’ fading playoff chances. Dallas came into Friday’s matchup at 32-31 with a 2.5-game lead over the Suns for the No. 10 seed and a berth in the NBA play-in tournament. But the Mavs were outscored 33-17 in the fourth quarter as Bane and Morant took control to close out the game.
Brandon Williams led Dallas with 31 points off the bench. He’s currently with the Mavs on a two-way contract. Naji Marshall followed with 29 points and 17 rebounds, while Klay Thompson added 15.
Jason Kidd on the difficulty of planning who will be the No. 1 option given current circumstances:
“There’s no No. 1 option, it’s team…We don’t have a No. 1 or No. 2, we’re not built like that right now. We’re built on team…Klay’s one of the best, a future Hall of Famer, but… pic.twitter.com/A9ZyjqedH6
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) March 8, 2025
With Irving’s season over, Davis still sidelined and Luka Dončić now playing for the Los Angeles Lakers, head coach Jason Kidd admitted after the game that finding a top scoring option is kind of a guessing game each night.
“We don’t have a No. 1 or No. 2, we’re not built like that right now,” Kidd told reporters. “It’s gonna be a group effort every night, it’s gonna be someone different, and that can mean that we can be dangerous, ’cause then no one can load up on one person, and we gotta take advantage of that.”
Up next for the Mavs is a Sunday matinee with the Suns. Later that evening, the Grizzlies visit the Pelicans.
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