Memphis Grizzlies recorded a comfortable 121-107 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday, with Ja Morant scoring 21 points, and Tyus Jones and Jaren Jackson Jr scoring 19 apiece.
The victory came shortly after Andre Iguodala was traded to the Miami Heat. Iguodala, who was acquired by the Grizzlies from the Golden State Warriors in the offseason. However, he refused to report to Memphis.
Porzingis heroics in vain
Kristaps Porzingis scored 32 points for the Mavericks, who were playing without leading scorer, rebounder and assist man Luka Doncic for the fourth consecutive game because of a sprained right ankle. Memphis won for the sixth time in its past seven games and now has 12 victories over its past 15 contests. The Grizzlies have moved their way into eighth place in the Western Conference with the All-Star Game approaches.
The Mavericks' two-game winning streak without Doncic came to an end as Dallas has now lost three of its past five games. The Mavericks led by as many as seven points early before the Grizzlies moved out in front by 11 points in the second quarter and led 59-56 at halftime.
Mavericks miss nine consecutive shots
Memphis went on a 12-0 run in the third quarter to take an 83-71 lead with Porzingis leaving the game briefly with 4:06 remaining in the period after taking an inadvertent elbow to the nose from the Grizzlies' Josh Jackson.
The Mavericks missed nine consecutive shots from the field in the third quarter as Memphis extended its overall run to 24-3. The Grizzlies led by as many as 25 points in the fourth quarter. Dillon Brooks had 13 points and De'Anthony Melton added 10 for the Grizzlies while Jonas Valanciunas had 10 rebounds. Jones' point total was a season-high.
Jalen Brunson had 20 points and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 14 for the Mavericks. Porzingis added 12 rebounds for his 16th double-double of the season. Dallas also was playing without J.J. Barea (ankle) and Seth Curry (knee). The Grizzlies played without Jae Crowder and Solomon Hill, who were with the team before the game but were rumoured to be involved in a trade, with inclusion in the Iguodala deal possible.
(With inputs from agencies)
