Mavs Gear Up for Matchup Against Grizzlies' Ja Morant After 49-Point Game

The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies will face off on Saturday. The focus starts with having to matchup against Ja Morant.

The Dallas Mavericks seek to bounce back from their 107-104 loss against the Phoenix Suns when they take on Ja Morant and the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. 

Morant is off to an impressive start to the 2022-23 season averaging 41.5 points, 4.0 rebounds, and 8.5 assists through two games. His most recent outing was a 49-point display against the Houston Rockets on Friday.

“(Morant) can do everything," Mavs superstar Luka Doncic said. "Obviously, he’s one of the fastest guys out there. Since the first year, he improved a lot with his shooting, his playmaking. He’s a really complete player, and he’s going to be hard to stop.”

There is no shortage of challenges that are presented for a defense when having to account for a talent like Morant. For a Mavs team that brought in JaVale McGee and Christian Wood in the offseason, it'll be a helpful test to determine where they stand. 

“I think the one way they go about it is: it’s all about winning,” Kidd said. “The best players in this league are about winning. Ja’s about winning, making plays, not just offensively, but we’ve seen the highlights coming up with steals or blocked shots. He’s going to do whatever it takes to help his team win.

“They’re one of the fastest teams in the league. All eyes will be on him and we got to figure out how to slow him down.”

Much like Doncic, Morant is surely going to be in the MVP conversation when it's been long enough to start even discussing the topic. Kidd explained that he envisions Morant being in the conversation at the very least. 

“He’s got the team to do it,” Kidd said. “It’s all about winning and he’s all about winning. That’s who Ja is. It’s about team. It’s about winning. If his team is in position like they were last year, he’ll be in that conversation for MVP.”

There is always a different level of intrigue surrounding matchups where top talents face off against each other. Doncic is looking forward to the matchup of facing one of the NBA's best talents. 

“It’s always good to go against a player like that,” Doncic said. “It’s fun, hopefully, for the fans.”

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