Doncic, Wood Star as Mavs Blow Out Grizzlies in Home Opener
DALLAS — The Dallas Mavericks sought to bounce back from a 107-104 road loss to the Phoenix Suns in their regular season opener. They did just that with a blowout 137-96 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies in their home opener at American Airlines Center.
Things got out of hand for the Grizzlies rather quickly, with Luka Doncic coming out of the gate hot. Doncic scored or assisted on the Mavs' initial 20 points of the game to take a 20-6 lead with 5:13 left in the opening period.
It became a clear priority for the Grizzlies to send double teams and to make aggressive low-man rotations when switching, but Doncic managed to break their coverages. It proved helpful to have a skilled big man and a secondary creator alongside him.
The Grizzlies never managed to come within single digits for the remainder of the game. The Mavs' offense continued to pour it on and scored 99 points through three quarters. Doncic had racked up 32 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists to this point. He did not play in the fourth quarter.
Wood chipped in 19 points and 10 rebounds of his own entering the final period. He finished with 25 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists in 25 minutes off the bench. He is the first Mavs player to ever score at least 25 points during their first two games with the franchise.
The Mavs emptied the bench with 6:16 remaining after Spencer Dinwiddie converted on a tough 3-pointer to put Dallas up 117-81. Jaden Hardy checked into the game in front of the home fans for the first time.
Entering Saturday's matchup, Ja Morant was coming off a 49-point performance against the Houston Rockets. He was held to just 20 points after being the NBA's top scorer prior to tipoff.
The Mavs' 41-point margin for victory was the largest in the all-time series against the Grizzlies.
The Mavs return to action on Tuesday against the undefeated New Orleans Pelicans in what should be a high-powered matchup between Doncic and Zion Williamson.
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