Postgame Report: Grizzlies fall to Mavericks, franchise-record winning streak ends at 11 games
Key stat of the night
- The Mavericks outshot the Grizzlies 62-30 in the second half as Memphis shot just 30 percent from the field and 13 percent from 3-point range. The Mavericks hit 59% of their shots in the second half.
Key race of the night
- Luka Doncic totaled 10 points as the Mavericks went 22-8 in the third quarter, with the Grizzlies shooting just 36% from the field in the period. Dallas then scored 17 consecutive points in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
Game recap
The Grizzlies suffered a 112-85 loss to the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum on Friday night, breaking their franchise record of 11 straight wins.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks offense, posting a triple-double with 27 points (12-22 FG), 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Tim Hardaway Jr. had 16 points and Reggie Bullock recorded 10 points and nine rebounds. Jalen Brunson added 15 points, nine assists, five rebounds and five steals.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 19 points (8-15 FG), eight assists and five rebounds while Desmond Scourge scored 16 points and six rebounds. Kyle Anderson contributed 12 points and five rebounds off the bench. Jaren Jackson Jr. added eight points and eight rebounds.
Memphis trailed by just three points (73-70) with 2:34 left in the third quarter before Dallas broke out on a 33-9 run to put the game away. After shooting 46% from the field in the first half, Memphis shot just 30% in the second half and were outscored 62-30.
The Grizzlies took a 55-50 halftime lead as Morant finished the second quarter with an acrobatic edge-contact finish. The convert and a Morant match his 15th takeaway point with four assists and three rebounds in the first half. Doncic had nine points, six assists and five rebounds in the first half.
next game
The Grizzlies will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a game against the Chicago Bulls on Monday, January 17 at FedExForum at 2:30 p.m. CT. Fans can watch on Bally Sports Southeast and listen on ESPN 92.9 FM.
Team Quotes
On fatigue playing a role in the game:
We never make excuses, but we have to admit that we were running out of smoke tonight. After a very solid first half, we just didn’t have it in the second half. We hit 11 points in transition at halftime, and that’s where we stayed. We drop our transition offense and score in transition, and once you shoot, it gives the other team a chance to run and it’s not typical for these guys to score 23 in transition. They don’t play with that kind of rhythm. But our missed shots and a few turnovers we had there led to that. We just didn’t have enough tonight.
Darko Rajakovic
At the end of the winning streak:
The first thing I said to the guys was congratulations on an incredible streak and making history for our franchise. 11 consecutive wins. It’s huge and we play really good basketball, we just couldn’t get enough of it. So what we need to do is enjoy a day off tomorrow. We have two days between us before we play in Chicago, and we absolutely have to reflect on what was behind us, the basketball that we’ve been playing for the last two or three weeks, and learn a lot from that, gain new confidence and start a new sequence.
Darko Rajakovic
To bounce back after losing the winning streak:
A game does not define us at all. Just turn the page and take this next day to rest, get treatment and recuperate. And come Monday locked up and get ready for the Bulls.
Ja Morant
On tiredness:
We were all tired as the game progressed. Our legs became heavier; the shots were short and came too late defensively. We tried to push but we couldn’t. Speaking for me specifically, I know I was tired and not locked in, just throwing the ball all over the court. Just throw it out the window.
Ja Morant
Notables of the team
- The Dallas Mavericks ended the Memphis Grizzlies’ 11-game winning streak, which was the longest single-season winning streak in franchise history. It’s also tied for the longest regular season winning streak across multiple seasons (Memphis also won 11 consecutive games between the 2013-14 and 2014-15 regular seasons from April 9 to November 7, 2014).
- Memphis used seven different starting lineups, 22 different players and three different head coaches (Taylor Jenkins, Darko Rajakovic, Brad Jones) during his franchise-record winning streak.
- Dallas, which had won six of its last seven starters tonight, has become accustomed to racking up winning streaks this season. The Mavericks ended the Chicago Bulls’ nine-game winning streak on January 9 and ended another five-game Grizzlies winning streak in the teams’ previous game on December 8.
- The Mavericks now lead the season series 2-1 with the road team winning every game.
- Dallas ended Memphis’ eight-game streak by scoring at least 110 points, which was the longest active streak in the league.
- The Mavericks scored 72 points in the paint, a season-high for the Mavericks and a season-high for a Grizzlies opponent. Memphis entered the game ranked first in paint points per game (55.6).
- That game ended an eight-game-in-12-day streak for the Grizzlies.
- The Grizzlies are 4-1 after losses of 19 or more this season. The Grizzlies will celebrate Martin Luther King Jr. Day with a game against the Chicago Bulls on January 17 at FedExForum at 2:30 p.m. CT.
Notable players
- Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 19 points, five rebounds and eight assists. It was the 21st time Morant led the team in points and the 22nd time he led the Grizzlies in assists.
- Desmond Scourge scored 16 points with six rebounds.
- Jaren Jackson Jr. had eight points, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. It marked Jackson Jr.’s 27th league-leading game with at least one steal and at least one block.
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