Mavs Fall to Grizzlies in Third-Straight Loss

Grizzlies win over Mavericks 96-85

Marc Gasol had 22 points and 11 rebounds, and Mike Conley added 20 points and 10 assists as the Memphis Grizzlies defeated the Dallas Mavericks 96-85 on Wednesday night.

Rudy Gay added 18 points for Memphis, despite hitting just eight of his 19 shots. Dante Cunningham was 5 of 6 from the field and scored 10 points.

Jason Terry led the Mavericks with 18 points, while Rodrigue Beaubois scored 16. Brendan Haywood had 10 points for Dallas, which lost its third straight.

The Mavericks played most of the game without leading scorer Dirk Nowitzki, who scored only one point before leaving early in the second quarter with lower back tightness. He did not return.

Memphis led by as many as 15 in the second half and maintained a nine- to 11-point lead most of the way down the stretch.

Beaubois gave the Mavericks good minutes off the bench in the first half scoring 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field. He was part of the Mavericks hitting 13 of their 20 shots in the second quarter, taking a 49-47 lead into halftime.

Memphis built the lead to as many as 10 early in the second period, but Dallas outscored the Grizzlies 32-22 in the quarter.

Both teams shot well in the half, Dallas connecting on 54 percent of its shots, the Grizzlies hitting at a 50 percent clip. But the Mavericks were hampered by 10 turnovers.

Gasol led Memphis with 12 points in the half.

The Mavericks extended the lead with four points from Haywood to open the second half, but Conley sparked Memphis to retake the lead. The Grizzlies relied on their defense to compose an 18-2 run in the period.

That wasn't enough to hold Dallas completely at bay, however, as the Mavericks picked their way back. Still, Memphis led 74-67 entering the final quarter.

Memphis opened the fourth with four straight baskets, including a pair by Gasol, to reach its biggest lead at 82-67.

Notes: The Mavericks were playing the second game in a run of nine in 12 nights. ... Grizzlies G Josh Selby, recalled from Reno, after the All-Star break, was used as a backup to Conley at point guard, displacing Jeremy Pargo. ... The Mavericks' 17 points in the first quarter matched Dallas' season low for the opening period.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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