Dallas Basketball

Battle of Attrition: Can Doncic-Less Mavs Take Advantage of Grizzlies’ Tired Legs?

The Dallas Mavericks take on the Memphis Grizzlies for the third time in 10 days on Monday night at FedExForum. Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are questionable, and Ja Morant is already listed as being out. Dallas will hope it’s potentially shorthanded roster can outlast Memphis’ tired legs.
Dalton Trigg|
Battle of Attrition: Can Doncic-Less Mavs Take Advantage of Grizzlies’ Tired Legs?
Battle of Attrition: Can Doncic-Less Mavs Take Advantage of Grizzlies’ Tired Legs?

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Dallas Mavericks

There’s no rest for the weary this time of year in the NBA … especially in a Western Conference that has more parity than it ever has.

The sixth-seeded Dallas Mavericks take on the third-seeded Memphis Grizzlies for the third time in 10 days on Monday night at FedExForum in a game that could very well be first-round playoff preview. 

Both teams are bruised and battered for this one, as the Mavs have star guard Luka Doncic listed as out, and his co-star Kyrie Irving is listed as questionable. As of this morning, veteran Tim Hardaway Jr. has been added to the injury report as questionable as well.

On the Grizzlies’ side, Ja Morant, Steven Adams and Brandon Clarke are all out, and Jaren Jackson Jr. is listed as questionable. So much for NBA fans getting the most bang for their buck with late-season ticket prices.

Even if both teams come into tonight’s matchup with shells of their normal rosters, though, the Mavs should still have the upper hand despite being on the road, as the Grizzlies will be playing their third game in four nights. The last time these two teams met, it was the Mavs playing their third game in four nights at home, and it resulted in a 104-88 loss — the first double-digit loss for Dallas since Jan. 22 against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Mavs rookie Jaden Hardy has put up some of his best scoring performances against the Grizzlies, averaging 25 points, five rebounds and three assists in two games, so perhaps he can step up yet again in Doncic’s absence.

If Irving is able to suit up, the prospect of a staring lineup including him, Hardy and Josh Green is exciting. If that happens, the tired legs of the Grizzlies might have a hard time keeping up with the Mavs' run-and-gun offense.

Monday's matchup at FedExForum is truly an NBA battle of attrition. Both teams have plenty to play for when it comes to playoff positioning, but if all stays as is, the Mavs could find themselves back on the Grizzlies home court to start the postseason this time next month. Tonight, Dallas will be going for the 2-2 regular-season series tie.

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Dalton Trigg
DALTON TRIGG

Dalton Trigg is the Editor-In-Chief for Dallas Basketball, as well as the Executive Editor overseeing Inside The Rockets, Inside The Spurs, All Knicks, and The Magic Insider. He is the founder and host for the Mavs Step Back Podcast, which is a proud part of the Blue Wire podcast network. Trigg graduated from the University of Southern Mississippi’s College of Business and Economic Development with a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship in 2016. After spending a few years with multiple Dallas Mavericks-related blogs, including SB Nation’s Mavs Moneyball, Trigg joined DallasBasketball.com as a staff writer in 2018 and never looked back. At the start of 2022, he was promoted to the EIC title he holds now. Through the years, Trigg has conducted a handful of high-profile one-on-one interviews to add to his resume — in both writing and podcasting. Some of his biggest interviews have been with Mavs owner Mark Cuban, Mavs GM Nico Harrison, now-retired legend Dirk Nowitzki and many other current/former players and team staffers. Many of those interviews and other articles by Trigg have been aggregated by other well-known sports media websites, such as Yahoo Sports, CBS Sports, Bleacher Report and others. You can find Trigg on all major social media channels, but his most prevalent platform is on Twitter. Whether it’s posting links to his DBcom work, live-tweeting Mavs games or merely giving his opinions on things going on with Dallas and the rest of the NBA, the daily content never stops rolling. For any inquiries, please email Dalton@MavsStepBack.com.

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