Grizzlies Try To Increase Division Lead vs Mavericks

The Memphis Grizzlies try to widen their lead in the Southwest Division when they take on the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. The opening tip for this battle of division rivals is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET at American Airlines Center in Dallas.

The Grizzlies are coming off a 122-118 win against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night, their second victory in three games. Memphis is 32-16 and in first place in the Southwest Division, leading the second-place Mavericks by five games.

Dallas had its four-game winning streak snapped with a home loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday night. The Mavericks (26-20) are looking to win the season series against the Grizzlies, with this being the last of the four meetings between these two teams this season.

The NBA lines have the Mavericks as 3½-point favorites at home, with the over/under set at 216½ points if you want to make that bet online.

Hot Hand

The Grizzlies have emerged as one of the top contenders in the Western Conference thanks to the play of guard Ja Morant, who is starting to garner some league MVP talk. Morant had 38 points in Friday’s win over Denver, adding six rebounds, six assists, and two steals.

“I was able to get to my spots on the floor, which I excel at,” Morant said after Friday’s win. “And once I get to my normal spots, it’s pretty much buckets.”

Morant is 11th in the league in scoring at 25.1 points per game while also ranking 14th with 6.9 assists per contest. He will sometimes shoot a little too much, but he also can find his teammates for open looks, as he did in the final minute against Denver, passing out to Jaren Jackson Jr. for a 3-pointer that iced the game.

Jackson is another young player coming into his own more this season for Memphis. The 22-year-old big man is averaging 16.5 points, 5.7 rebounds, and 2.2 blocks per game, and his offensive game stretches out to the 3-point line.

That duo needs to have a big game in this one, as the Grizzlies have been playing shorthanded of late. Second-leading scorer Dillon Brooks has been out for a couple of weeks with an ankle injury, guard Desmond Bane is in league safety protocols, and forward Brandon Clarke — who has been averaging 12.8 points and 1.8 blocks over the last 10 games — is questionable for this game with back soreness.

Key Player

The Mavericks are hoping to have their superstar guard, Luka Doncic. Doncic took a hard fall in Thursday’s loss to Phoenix and has a sore neck, though he’s optimistic he’ll be able to go in this one. He suffered the injury late in the third quarter against the Suns but was able to return in the fourth quarter to finish the contest.

Doncic is averaging 25.2 points, 8.8 rebounds, 8.7 assists and 1.2 steals this season, but he’s only been available for 31 contests due to various ailments. He’s played very well in the two games he’s faced Memphis this season, averaging 26.5 points, 10.5 rebounds and 8.5 assists while shooting 53.7% from the floor. The Mavericks’ only loss to the Grizzlies this season came with Doncic out with injury.

Center Kristaps Porzingis has also been in and out of the Mavericks lineup this season, averaging 20.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks in 30 games. Porzingis has only played against the Grizzlies once this season and struggled, finishing with 19 points in only 23 minutes of action due to foul trouble.

Guard Jalen Brunson has been the consistent presence for the Mavericks this season, playing in all but one game and averaging 15.9 points and 5.5 assists per game. If Doncic is unable to go, he’ll have a much bigger role in leading the Dallas offense.

Grizzlies Get Win

Whether Doncic is in the lineup for this one will be a big difference in the outcome of the game, but even if he’s able to go, we like Memphis to earn the victory. Morant is playing as well as anyone in the league right now, and the Grizzlies are playing with a lot of confidence right now.

When doing your NBA betting, take Memphis to win on the road.