National Basketball Association
Dallas 120, Memphis 113
When: 8:00 PM ET, Monday, December 11, 2023
Where: FedExForum, Memphis, Tennessee
Officials: #7 Lauren Holtkamp, #37 Eric Dalen, #60 James Williams
Attendance: 16379

Luka Doncic poured in 35 points to help lead the visiting Dallas Mavericks to a 120-113 win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Monday.

Jaden Hardy added a season-high 19 points for the Mavericks, who won their third consecutive game. Dante Exum had 16 points for Dallas, while Dereck Lively II also scored 16 points and grabbed 16 rebounds.

Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with a season-high 41 points, as the struggling Grizzlies have lost three of their past four games. Desmond Bane tallied 28 points and Vince Williams Jr. had 10 points for Memphis.

The Grizzlies led 11-10 at the 7:15 mark of the first quarter, but Doncic hit a floater on the next possession to give the lead back to Dallas, one that would stand for the remainder of the game in a Mavericks win that was never in doubt.

After the Grizzlies trailed by as many as 20 points in the third quarter, Bane's layup cut the Memphis deficit to nine with 3:52 remaining in the period. Dallas then finished the quarter on a 10-2 run to push its lead to 17 points entering the final quarter. The Grizzlies scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, but Memphis was never able to cut the lead to fewer than seven.

In the first half, Seth Curry's driving runner with 4:23 remaining in the second quarter pushed the Dallas lead to 54-37, the Mavericks' largest advantage of the game to that point. Exum knocked down a corner 3-pointer to match the 17-point lead with 55.6 seconds left, and Dallas led 67-51 at halftime.

Doncic paced the Mavericks' first-half scoring with 23 points on 5-for-9 shooting from the floor. Exum and Hardy each added 11 points for Dallas, which made 24 of its 44 first-half field-goal attempts (54.5 percent). Memphis' first-half offensive output was led by Jackson, who had 21 points, while Bane added 15.

The Mavericks were without five key players due to injury. Josh Green, Tim Hardaway Jr., Kyrie Irving, Maxi Kleber and Grant Williams were all scratched Monday.

Memphis played its 22nd game without Ja Morant, who is still serving his 25-game suspension. Morant is eligible to return Dec. 19 against New Orleans.

--Field Level Media

Top Game Performances
 
Dallas   Memphis
Luka Doncic 35 Scoring Jaren Jackson Jr. 41
Luka Doncic 6 Assists Desmond Bane 8
Dereck Lively II 16 Rebounds Vince Williams Jr. 9
Luka Doncic 12 Free Throws Made Jaren Jackson Jr. 5
Luka Doncic 2 Steals Santi Aldama 2
Derrick Jones Jr. 3 Blocks Jaren Jackson Jr. 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Dallas 120 50.0 17-40 17-19 27 43 9 8 17
Memphis 113 46.1 18-44 13-16 26 38 5 9 18
Upcoming Games
  • Memphis will play their next game on the road against Houston. The Grizzlies have a W/L % of .167 after a win and .312 after a loss.
  • Dallas will play their next game at home against L.A. Lakers. The Mavericks have a W/L % of .571 after a win and .750 after a loss.