A pair of teams from the Southwest Division take to the hardwood in the Lone Star State as they look to pick up a victory. The Memphis Grizzlies are on the road as they make the trip to face the Dallas Mavericks Saturday night. Memphis was in action on the road as they faced the Rockets in the Toyota Center Friday night. They won their season opener, picking up a 115-112 overtime win over the Knicks Wednesday night though they failed to cover as a five-point favorite. Dallas let a big lead slip away on the road as they were edged 107-105 by Phoenix Wednesday night in their season opener though they did cover as a four-point underdog. In the all-time regular season series between the teams, the Mavericks own a 72-32 advantage and took three of four meetings a season ago. That includes a 104-91 home victory in the most recent matchup on January 23, 2022.
Memphis was in action on the road Friday night against Houston so they are playing the second game of a back-to-back road set against division opponents here. The Grizzlies entered Friday 1-0 on the season, putting them in a tie for the top spot in the Southwest Division with the Pelicans. Last season, Memphis was 26-15 on the road with a +2.2-point per game scoring differential (113.9 ppg for, 111.7 ppg against) in the regular season. In the second game of back-to-back situations, the Grizzlies were 7-7 with a -0.6-point per game scoring differential (111.1 ppg for, 111.7 ppg against) on the year. Memphis went 11-5 against the Southwest Division in 2021-22, outscoring their opponents by six points (113.3 ppg for, 107.3 ppg against) this season.
In the win against the Knicks, Memphis played great basketball for long stretches before seeing things unravel. The Grizzlies regrouped in overtime and mana ged to escape with the win though they need to be sharper against the Mavericks. Memphis led by two after the opening quarter, outscored the Knicks 36-23 in the second quarter to take a 15-point lead at the half and led by 18 early in the third quarter only to see New York rally. The Grizzlies gave up the game-tying three-pointer with 3.3 seconds to play in regulation before outscoring the Knicks 7-4 in the extra session to prevail. Memphis shot only 38.9% from the field, including 17 of 50 from beyond the arc, and won the rebounding battle 64-54. Ja Morant led five Grizzlies in double figures with 34 points and nine assists in the win. Santi Aldama contributed 18 points and 11 rebounds filling in for the injured Jaren Jackson Jr., Desmond Bane kicked in 16 despite a six of 22 shooting night, Tyus Jones added 15 off the bench while John Konchar posted a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds in the victory.
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