On Wednesday, the Dallas Mavericks played the Memphis Grizzlies in the fourth road game in the month of April. The Mavericks have lost a little bit of traction but hopes to get back in the win column to chase a top six seed in the western conference, to avoid the “Play-In Tournament” once the season ends. This is a huge game for these two teams as they are within 1 1/2 games from each other.

On Monday, the Dallas Mavericks played the Philadelphia 76ers in the final game of the Mavericks’ three game home stand. The Mavericks started this game mostly behind as the 76ers came out looking to make a statement. The Mavericks largest lead in the game was just four points as the 76ers were mostly in control of the game. The 76ers ultimately used their superstar, Joel Embiid, to finish off the Mavericks as they defeated the Mavericks 113-95. Joel Embiid did what he had to do against the Mavericks as he finished with 36 points to help grab the win for the 76ers. Luka Doncic did what he could without his co-star Kristaps Porzingis on the court as Doncic finished with 32 points and 4 assists but it wasn’t near enough for a win. With the loss, the Mavericks record dropped to 29-24 on the season, as they are still the seventh seed in the western conference standings. The loss, also gave the Mavericks a losing streak of two games. The Mavericks got some help as the Boston Celtics defeated the Portland Trail blazers to keep the Trail Blazers within range of the Mavericks for the sixth seed in the western conference standings.

The Memphis Grizzlies are coming into this game by going 6-4 in their last 10 games. They are recently coming off a 101-90 win against the Chicago Bulls on Monday to see their record improve to 27-25 on the season. The Grizzlies are coming into this season with good hopes of trying to make playoffs. The Grizzlies are currently the eighth seed in the western conference standings. This team is led by high sensation, Ja Morant as they look to grab a playoff spot in the western conference. If their current trend continues, they stand a good chance at landing a playoff spot to hopefully use to go on a good playoff run. This Grizzlies team can play as they are not the team to “sleep on”, they will compete hard and will make it hard to secure a win against them.

Coming into this game, the Mavericks won their last meeting with the Grizzlies 102-92 on February 22nd, 2021. The Mavericks currently lead the regular season series 1-0 against the Grizzlies and could secure the season series win, if they can manage out a win in this matchup. If the Grizzlies manage out a win in this current matchup, then the tie-breaker would come on May 11th, 2021 to determine who clinches the regular season series. This is extremely important due to these two teams being neck and neck in the western conference standings and whoever clinches the season series will hold the important “tiebreaker” in case these two teams do end up tied at the end of the season. The Mavericks previously won their regular season series last season 2-1 against the Grizzlies. Overall, the Mavericks hold the all-time series with a record of 68-30.

The Mavericks started this game by having Tyrell Terry (personal reasons) be ruled out for this game, other than that, everyone is available to play. As a result, the Mavericks went with Doncic, Richardson, Kleber, Finney-Smith and Porzingis as their starting five in this game. The first points in the game would belong to Josh Richardson as he nailed a two pointer for the Mavericks to get this game underway. The Grizzlies wouldn’t get their first points until the 10:57 mark as Dillion Brooks drilled a three pointer to take their first lead in the game at 3-2. The Mavericks would regain the lead at 6-5 after Maxi Kleber drilled a three pointer to take a one point lead with 8:59 left in the quarter. This game would have a slow pace to it after both teams decided to play the “foul game” by getting to the free-throw line as much as you can to begin the game. The Mavericks would extend their lead to four points after an alley-oop pass from Luka Doncic to Maxi Kleber to take a 15-11 lead that forced the Grizzlies to call a timeout with 6:45 left in the quarter. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks offense started to get on a rhythm as they made five of their first nine attempts to begin the game while the Grizzlies got off to a average start as they started the game by making four of their first ten attempts taken thus far. The Mavericks were able to generate a 7-2 run to generate some momentum in the game. Coming out of the timeout, the Grizzlies turned to Ja Morant as he was able to convert on a floating jump shot to come within 15-13 of the Mavericks with 6:20 left in the quarter. The Mavericks were able to increase their lead to six points after Kristaps Porzingis drilled a jump shot to extend their lead to 19-13 with 5:33 left in the quarter. The Mavericks offense started to heat up as they were able to take good quality shots in the quarter. The Grizzlies were able to cut their deficit to two points after Grayson Allen knocked down a jump shot to come within 19-17 of the Mavericks with 4:59 left in the quarter. The Grizzlies offense started to wake up in the quarter as they were able to pick up the pace to try to gain control of the quarter. The game would find its way to be tied after Grayson Allen knocked down a three pointer for the Grizzlies, to tie the game at 23-23 with 3:30 left in the quarter. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Grizzlies were able to take a 34-32 lead into the second quarter. The game leading scorer after one quarter of play would belong to Grayson Allen as he scored 14 points for the Grizzlies. The Mavericks were led by Tim Hardaway Jr as he scored 9 points off the bench. The Mavericks had a good start to the quarter but the Grizzlies were right with the Mavericks as neither team could create separation from each other. The Mavericks finished the first quarter by shooting 56.5% on 13-of-23 shooting from the field.

The second quarter would begin by having an alley-oop from Luka Doncic to Dwight Powell to nail the slam dunk for the Mavericks to get this quarter underway. The Grizzlies wouldn’t get their first points in the quarter until the 10:34 mark as Xavier Tillman nailed a layup to lead 36-34. The Grizzlies would soon extend their lead to five points after Xavier Tillman knocked down a three pointer to extend their lead to 41-36 with 9:37 left in the quarter. The Grizzlies began the quarter on a much better start than they began the first quarter thus far. The Mavericks had some good looks on offense but couldn’t get the ball to fall through the hoop and you hate to see that happen because the Mavericks were moving the ball efficiently. Rick Carlisle would call a timeout with 7:31 left in the quarter after the Grizzlies built a nine point lead at 45-36. Prior to this timeout, the Grizzlies started the quarter on a roll as they made four of their first eight attempts while the Mavericks had a tough time knocking down their shots as they only made two of their first eight attempts taken thus far. The Grizzlies were able to generate a 11-2 run to create some separation from the Mavericks. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Dorian Finney-Smith but couldn’t convert as he missed a three pointer that kept the score at 45-36 with 7:10 left in the quarter. The Mavericks finally had a basket to go in, after Kristaps Porzingis knocked down a jump shot while being fouled and would complete the “three point play” by knocking down the “AND ONE” free-throw to come within 45-39 of the Grizzlies with 6:32 left in the quarter. The Mavericks offense started to wake up in the quarter after JJ Redick knocked down a three pointer to come within 45-42 of the Grizzlies with 5:59 left in the quarter. Despite the comeback effort, the Grizzlies were able to extend their lead to seven points after Kyle Anderson knocked down a jump shot to extend their lead to 51-44 with 4:42 left in the quarter. The Grizzlies would call a timeout with 4:02 left in the quarter as they saw their lead shrink to 51-49. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks were able to generate a quick 7-2 run to maintain distance of the Grizzlies. Coming out of the timeout, the Grizzlies turned to Grayson Allen but couldn’t convert as he “air balled” the three pointer that kept the score at 51-49 with 3:42 left in the quarter. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Grizzlies were able to maintain the lead and took a 60-57 lead into halftime. The game leading scorer after two quarters of play would belong to Grayson Allen as he scored 17 points for the Grizzlies. The Mavericks were led by Kristaps Porzingis as he scored 12 points. The Grizzlies had the better quarter but they allowed the Mavericks to maintain distance of them and thus keeping the game close. The Mavericks finished the first half by shooting 51.1% on 23-of-45 shooting from the field. This certainly had a lot of “playoff vibes” as both teams were competing hard in the game.

Coming out of the half, the Mavericks were able to get on the board first in the third quarter by having Josh Richardson nail a floating jump shot to come within 60-59 of the Grizzlies. Jonas Valanciunas was able to score the first points for the Grizzlies as he nailed a two pointer with 10:46 left in the quarter to extend their lead to 62-59. Both teams would start the quarter on a fast pace as they both had their shots to down the hoop to begin the quarter. The Mavericks, once again, came within one point of the Grizzlies after Josh Richardson knocked down a three pointer to come within 66-65 of the Grizzlies with 8:26 left in the quarter. The Mavericks finally were able to retake the lead as Luka Doncic nailed a driving layup to take a 67-66 lead with 7:51 left in the quarter. The Grizzlies would call a timeout with 6:50 left in the quarter after retaking the lead at 71-69. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks offense started to click as they opened the quarter by making five of their first ten attempts while the Grizzlies were a little bit slow as they only made five of their first nine attempts taken thus far. The Mavericks were able to generate a 7-5 run to keep the game within reach. Coming out of the timeout, the Grizzlies turned to Jonas Valanciunas as knocked down a “tip-in” shot off an offensive rebound to extend their lead to 73-70 with 6:23 left in the quarter. The Grizzlies would then extend their lead to five points after Ja Morant threw down a thunderous slam dunk to take a 75-70 lead with 6:01 left in the quarter. The Mavericks are doing everything they could to flip the momentum in the game but the Grizzlies were having none of that as they kept the momentum on their side by getting good quality shots on offense. The Mavericks had a lot of work to do if they want to have any shot at coming away with a victory as the Grizzlies had all the control in the game. The Mavericks were able to come within one point of the Grizzlies after Kristaps Porzingis knocked down two free-throw to come within 75-74 of the Grizzlies with 4:34 left in the quarter. Like I said earlier, every time the Mavericks were threatening, the Grizzlies had an answer every time as Ja Morant knocked down a jump shot to extend their lead to 79-76 with 3:40 left in the quarter. In the final minutes of the quarter, the Grizzlies were able to maintain the lead and took a 89-83 lead into the fourth quarter. The game leading scorer after three quarters of play would belong to Grayson Allen as he scored 20 points for the Grizzlies. The Mavericks were led by Kristaps Porzingis as he scored 19 points. Another quarter that belonged to the Grizzlies as they were able to maintain control by eliminating any Mavericks threat. Through three quarters of play, the Mavericks were shooting 46.3% on 31-of-67 shooting from the field. The Mavericks have one final 12:00 minute shot to do anything in the game if they want to secure a win in the “most important” game of the season thus far.

The fourth quarter would begin by having Jalen Brunson nail a layup for the Mavericks to get this quarter underway. The Grizzlies weren’t able to get their first points in the quarter until the 10:48 mark by having John Konchar nail a fast break layup to extend their lead to 91-85. The Mavericks were able to cut their deficit to two points after Dwight Powell would slam dunk the ball to come within 91-89 of the Grizzlies, that forced the Grizzlies to call a timeout with 9:34 left in the game. Prior to this timeout, the Mavericks opened the quarter by having a perfect start as they made all there attempts taken while the Grizzlies had a difficult time to open the quarter as they only made one of their first four attempts taken thus far. The Mavericks would need their offense to get going while also stopping the Grizzlies offense if they want to leave the arena with a HUGE win. The Mavericks were able to generate a 6-2 run to begin the quarter to stay in the game. Coming out of the timeout, the Grizzlies turned to Desmond Bane but couldn’t convert as he missed a floating jump shot that kept the score at 91-89 with 9:21 left in the game. THE MAVERICKS WOULD HAVE THE LEAD AS JJ REDICK KNOCKED DOWN A BIG THREE POINTER TO TAKE A 92-91 LEAD WITH 8:08 LEFT IN THE GAME. That’s exactly they type of shot the Mavericks needed all game long and they finally have it. Despite the Mavericks’ effort, the Grizzlies didn’t let that phase them as they were able to reclaim the lead and took a 97-94 lead after Desmond Bane knocked down two free-throws with 7:05 left in the game. Rick Carlisle would call a timeout with 6:37 left in the game as he saw the Mavericks’ deficit grow to six points with the Grizzlies leading 100-94. Prior to this timeout, the Grizzlies offense started to roll as they were able to generate a quick 9-2 run to retake control in the game. This game looked like it was going to come down to the final minutes with both teams starting to get their offense on a roll. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Dorian Finney-Smith as he was able to convert on a two pointer to come within 100-96 of the Grizzlies with 6:18 left in the game. The Mavericks need to pick up the slack if they want to erase the Grizzlies lead. The Mavericks were able to cut their deficit to four points after Luka Doncic nailed a fadeaway jump shot to come within 102-98 of the Grizzlies with 5:14 left in the game. DORIAN FINNEY-SMITH WOULD KNOCK DOWN THE BIGGEST SHOT IN THE GAME FOR THE MAVERICKS, AS HE KNOCKED DOWN A THREE POINTER TO TIE THE GAME AT 104-104 THAT FORCED THE GRIZZLIES TO CALL A TIMEOUT WITH 3:26 LEFT IN THE GAME. It all comes down to this, tie game with 3:26 left, whoever plays good basketball would claim the throne and leave the arena with a HUGE WIN on their backs. Coming out of the timeout, the Grizzlies turned to Jonas Valanciunas as he was able to go to the free-throw line as result of being fouled, in which he nailed both of them to take a 106-104 lead with 3:11 left in the game. Rick Carlisle would call a timeout with 2:06 left in the game as the Grizzlies were able to extend their lead to five points at 111-106. Prior to this timeout, the Grizzlies were able to knock down some huge shots as they were able to generate a quick 7-2 to regain control of the game. The Mavericks need their offense to wake up quick to steal a win from the Grizzlies. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to Luka Doncic but couldn’t as he missed a fadeaway jump shot that kept the score at 111-106 with 1:42 left in the game. The Mavericks finally made it a one possession game after Kristaps Porzingis knocked down a jump shot to come within 111-108 with 1:02 left in the game. LUKA DONCIC MADE IT A ONE POINT GAME AFTER NAILING A TWO POINTER TO COME WITHIN 111-110 OF THE GRIZZLIES WITH 25.7 SECONDS LEFT IN THE GAME. The Mavericks were forced to play the “foul game” in which the Grizzlies nailed two free-throw to extend their lead to 113-110 with 24.7 seconds left in the game. Luka Doncic was fouled with 3.2 seconds left in the game with the Mavericks trailing 113-110, he would then knock down the first one to come within 113-111 of the Grizzlies, he would then miss the second free-throw in hopes of the Mavericks grabbing the offensive rebound. The result ended being the Grizzlies grabbing the crucial rebound with as Grayson Allen grabbed and was fouled with 2.2 seconds left in the game. HE WOULD MISSED BOTH FREE-THROWS (that would’ve iced the game) AS THAT KEPT THE SCORE AT 113-111 with 1.8 seconds left, as Rick Carlisle called a timeout. The Mavericks just need a shoot to tie or a three pointer to win the game. Coming out of the timeout, the Mavericks turned to LUKA DONCIC AS HE DID IT AGAIN!!!! LUKA DONCIC NAILED THE SHOT AS TIME EXPIRED!!!! THAT WAS LUKA MAGIC!!!. The officials would go to monitor to review whether it was a three or a two pointer. After the review, the officials would rule the CLUTCH LUKA DONCIC BASKET AS A THREE POINTER AND THE MAVERICKS WIN THE GAME ON THAT SHOT!!!!!

This team looked like they had a tough time with the Grizzlies as everything looked off for the Mavericks with the Grizzlies grabbing control for the majority of the first half by taking a 60-57 lead at halftime. The Mavericks simply had trouble stopping the Grizzlies and that was a problem as the Grizzlies were able to grab momentum in the game. This was an important game by both teams as whoever wins will help their cause in the western conference standings.

In the end, it was the Dallas Mavericks defeating the Memphis Grizzlies 114-113 by “one inch” to snap their losing streak and grab the most important win in the season. The Mavericks record would improve to 30-24 on the season. Luka Doncic finished the game with 29 points and 9 assists in the buzzer beating win. The Grizzlies were led by Grayson Allen as he finished with 23 points and 4 rebounds. The Mavericks also got help from Kristaps Porzingis as finished with 21 points and 6 rebounds. With the win, the Mavericks clinched the regular season series against the Grizzlies, which is huge in case these two teams do end up tied. If the Mavericks end up avoiding the “Play-in Tournament” it would be the tie of Luka Doncic being the difference maker and season changer for the Mavericks. The Mavericks desperately needed this win to snap their losing streak, secure the season series against the Grizzlies and grab some ground for the sixth seed and they did all of that because of Luka Doncic toe. What a win for the Mavericks. They got the job done and a win is a win no matter how you get it done.

The Mavericks will head back home where they will meet the New York Knicks on Friday at the American Airlines Center. This will mark the first of a five game home stand at the American Airlines Center for the Mavericks.

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