Dallas Mavs Lose with Luka Doncic Out: ‘We Didn't Put Kyrie Irving In a Good Position’

With Luka Doncic sidelined for personal reasons, the Mavs could not execute against the shorthanded Grizzlies on Friday.

DALLAS — With Luka Doncic and Ja Morant headlining a lengthy list of inactive players for the Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies, Kyrie Irving and Co. had a flat performance, losing 108-94. The Mavs fell to 11-7 on the season, while the Grizzlies improved to 5-13. 

"You know, 55 points [being] out of the lineup can put you in harm's way," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "Next man up didn't quite work tonight, but we'll learn from that. It was a young group out there. Give credit to Memphis. They played hard [but] no excuse. We felt we couldn't grab the rebound, and our energy was flat."

Despite Doncic being out, the Mavs subbed Irving before even the midway point of the first quarter. After a slow shooting start for the offense, Jaden Hardy checked in and made a positive impact to put Dallas up 9-6 at the 7:05 mark by creating a lob for Dereck Lively II out of double drag, then finishing a layup in transition.

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Desmond Bane finished a layup and then stole the inbounds pass, resulting in a wide-open 3-pointer that he converted. Just like that, the Mavs went from having some momentum to facing a deficit. Irving checked into the game a few minutes later, with the Mavs trailing 17-12. 

Josh Green pulled off an impressive stretch in the second quarter, scoring eight of the Mavs' 12 points to spark some momentum. He actively generated rim pressure through drives, leading to some spray-outs and dropoff passes. He also knocked down some open shots and got to the rim. 

With Irving on the sideline, the Mavs didn't have a superstar to run the offense through, resulting in some stagnation. However, the defense wasn't hauling in rebounds or containing dribble penetration, resulting in a made 3-pointer from Bane to put the Grizzlies up 38-29 with 7:08 left in the second quarter. 

Dallas Mavericks superstar Kyrie Irving vs. Memphis Grizzlies / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

The Mavs had a flat performance throughout the rest of the half, with the Grizzlies going up by as many as 18 points. Irving scored only one point before the break. After an 8-2 run out of the break, the Mavs cut the deficit to single figures (61-52) at the 9:26 mark of the third quarter using a made 3-pointer by Grant Williams. 

"He probably got a little frustrated with getting face-guarded, and we have to do a better job of getting him the ball and knowing how to play when something like that is happening," Kidd said of Irving. "I'll take the blame for that because we didn't put him in a good position to be successful."

Irving revealed that he felt a "tweak" in his foot around the end of the first quarter and found it challenging to find his balance, making it challenging to settle back into the game to make a significant impact for the Mavs. 

"I had a bit of a tweak to my foot at the end of the first quarter, so I was just trying to get my balance underneath me," Irving said. "It's hard to settle back in once you feel a tweak like that, especially in your feet."

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Dallas continued to chip away at the Grizzlies' lead, making it a seven-point game (72-65) with 4:51 left after Seth Curry found Williams wide open in the paint for a finish at the rim. Irving had begun to get into more of a rhythm as well. 

Curry stood out throughout the third quarter, providing needed off-the-dribble creation and shotmaking while the Mavs struggled in both areas. As a result, the Mavs trailed by only seven points (79-72) at the end of the third quarter. 

"Yeah, he was a pro [and] gave us," Kidd said of Curry. "There were some guys that struggled tonight, clearly. He gave us some minutes, but I thought he was good for us off the bench, and we have to find a way to get him some minutes."

The Mavs fell back down by 20 points midway through the fourth quarter, with the Grizzlies making timely shots, while the Mavs fell into a rut. Dallas never made a serious rallying effort to close the game, trailing by double figures the rest of the way. Dallas ended up pulling rotation players to close the game. 

Irving finished with 10 points, five rebounds, and five assists, shooting just 3-15 from the floor, 0-5 from beyond the arc, and 4-5 on free throws. The Mavs' leading scorers were Williams and Jones, with 16 points apiece; Williams added eight rebounds and three assists, and Jones hauled in four boards. 

Curry was the only double-figure scorer off the bench for the Mavs as he recorded 12 points, with a pair of rebounds and assists accompanying them. Green did most of his work in the first half but finished with 10 points, five assists, and three steals in 31 minutes. Dallas received spurts of solid impact from Hardy as he added eight points, five rebounds, and five assists but made some costly mistakes.

The Grizzlies received 30 points, four rebounds, and five assists from Desmond Bane, who served in the first-option role with Morant continuing to serve his NBA suspension. Jaylen Nowell offered 19 points and four rebounds; Santi Aldama scored 17 points and hauled in 12 boards while dishing out three dimes. 

The Mavs return to action on Saturday when they face the Oklahoma City Thunder at American Airlines Center, completing the second night of a back-to-back. It remains to be seen if Doncic, Tim Hardaway Jr., or Dante Exum will be available to play.