Luka Doncic Leads Injury-Depleted Dallas Mavs to Road Win vs. Memphis Grizzlies

Luka Doncic led the injury-depleted Mavs to a road win against the Grizzlies as Ja Morant remains sidelined due to an NBA suspension.

MEMPHIS — The Dallas Mavericks and Memphis Grizzlies entered Monday's matchups with no shortage of critical players sidelined. While Ja Morant remains sidelined due to a league suspension, Luka Doncic was available to set the tone for the Mavs, leading them to a 120-113 victory to improve to 14-8 on the season.

The Mavs played without Kyrie Irving (right heel contusion), Grant Williams (right knee bone bruise), Maxi Kleber (right small toe dislocation), Josh Green (right elbow sprain), and Tim Hardaway Jr. (back spasms). Midway through the game, Derrick Jones Jr. suffered a left quad contusion and never returned to the lineup. 

“Great team win. You start with [Luka Doncic] and the group just understanding when we lost [Derrick Jones Jr.] there. I thought [Dante Exum] was great," Mavs coach Kidd said. "I thought [Seth Curry] and the starting group were great. I thought [Jaden Hardy] coming off the bench was great and [Oliver-Maxence Prosper]. I thought [Markieff Morris] was good for us on both ends. 

"Great team win. To get 40 3s up with that group. Pretty impressive," Kidd explained. "But when you talk about MVPs, one of the best players in the world, [Luka Doncic], can do that with anybody, and he displayed that this evening.”

Without Irving in the lineup, the Grizzlies were aggressive, blitzing Doncic early in the game. Memphis made it a point to mix up its coverages between applying full-court pressure, using ICE coverage with the big defender playing closer to the level, switching at times, and more. 

“Today, they were double-teaming me the whole game, so I'm just trying to get to my spot," Doncic said. "The trust factor was big tonight. Everybody that came on the court gave it all, so I'm really proud of this team."

Given the need to conserve Doncic's energy for a heavy workload, the Mavs began to deploy Doncic more off-ball, starting as one of the bigs in Horns. Dante Exum was needed to generate rim pressure and patiently help execute in the half-court to get the ball to Doncic in triple-threat situations. 

"Well, I think it just gives him the opportunity where he doesn't have to bring the ball up and work so hard," Kidd said of Doncic. "And then the other side of that is where he has a live dribble, and he's capable of passing or being able to play off the dribble. But it just gives him a chance to rest, to figure out what he wants to do, and then he can see what the defenses are going to do, and if it's going to be a trap, he can string them out, or he can get [Dereck Lively II] wide open. He's been very successful playing off the elbows.”

When Doncic returned in the second quarter, the Mavs utilized him more out of the corner, with the Grizzlies face-guarding him. Dallas received a strong impact from Jaden Hardy and Exum as initiators, providing a needed burst of attacking off the bench without Irving available to lead the offense.

“I think anytime with the double teams, being able to put [Dante Exum], his basketball IQ and his decision making and playmaking, it's great to have that option when [Kyrie Irving] is out," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "But I thought [Jaden Hardy] did a great job in that slot of being the playmaker, finding all the right guys tonight, and also looking for a shot. I thought he was great in that position instead of being the shooter he is. It just helps when you have someone like those types of guys in that situation when we’re being double-teamed."

The Mavs began pulling the screen higher early in possessions, prompting the Grizzlies to switch, allowing him to get into a step-back 3. Dallas continued to mix in using Doncic as a ball screener — both as a regular high ball screener and out of double drag — allowing their other guards to attack downhill, including Seth Curry's layup at the 4:23 mark of the second quarter, putting the Mavs up 54-37. 

“I think guys are getting comfortable when you have multiple ball handlers, like [Jaden Hardy] and [Danté Exum], that can use him as a screen because the there's no help," Kidd said. "They did that well tonight. We're going to see that for most of, if not the rest of, the season. And the guys are getting comfortable with that, and he's getting comfortable with that. There's a lot of trust in that locker room. It was displayed again tonight.”

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic driving against the Memphis Grizzlies / Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas had no answers for containing Jaren Jackson Jr. or Desmond Bane early as they combined for 36 points (Jackson scored 21; Bane had 15) but was not made to pay by the Grizzlies' supporting cast. Memphis' two available stars shot 13-21 from the floor and 5-9 from deep, while the rest of the roster went 5-20 overall and 3-12 on 3s.

Doncic continued to make an impact as an initiator and spending time off-ball. He felt it after a step-back 3-pointer against David Roddy trying to apply full-court pressure, then later was used out of the dunker's spot for a handoff with Lively. The interchanging between initiating and being a distributor inside the arc continued before returning to playing out of Horns. 

"I like it when they pressure me," Doncic said. "I can just go down the lane or play with the live dribble. I get down there, and I will just play out of it.'

When operating out of Horns, Doncic's position at the elbow creates many challenges for the defense to solve in split seconds. He is closer to the paint before dribbling, and at his size, with his combination of footwork, passing vision, finishing touch, and short-range scoring, it's a tough task to contain. He can retreat to the perimeter and break down the defender even if switching occurs. Being able to receive the ball before dribbling in this position is something Doncic enjoys.

"It's easier when you don't have to dribble, just have a live ball in it," Doncic said. "It's easier for me, so we'll keep working on that."

Jackson often made the Mavs' defense pay from beyond the arc, sparking a run for the Grizzlies. Dallas went up by 20 with 8:09 left in the third quarter after Lively followed up a blocked finish with a made hook. The Grizzlies answered with a pair of made 3s to make it a 14-point game. 

The Grizzlies briefly made it a single-figure game midway through the third period, but an emphatic block by Doncic in help defense, as a spin move occurred, sparked a run for the Mavs. The Slovenian superstar began to play more out of the post to force Memphis to double-team from a different spot on the floor. 

Entering the fourth quarter with a 96-79 lead, the Mavs managed to grow their advantage to be as large as 21 points, with Hardy making plays early in the period. Memphis was aggressive, face-guarding Doncic, and got hot from 3-point range before successfully attacking the paint to cut Dallas' lead to 10 points a few times.

A turnaround jumper from Doncic out of a timeout helped settle the Mavs after giving up a run. Memphis began sending doubles to the superstar guard, creating lanes for Dallas' supporting cast to make plays. Hardy's fifth made 3-pointer came shortly after, extending the edge to 115-99 with 3:22 left in regulation to ice the game.

“When I'm out there and the ball’s finding me, it’s just being ready and down — ready to shoot," Hardy said. "If I'm out there, I feel like it's going to go in every time I shoot through. But just having the confidence when I'm out there and my teammates believing in me.”

Doncic finished 35 points, eight rebounds, six assists, two steals, and two blocks in 44 minutes. It was his seventh consecutive game in which he scored 30 or more points. He's averaging 32.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 8.5 assists on the season, providing just another strong outing amid a potential MVP campaign. 

Lively anchored the paint effectively on both ends, adding 16 points and tying his career-high 16 rebounds. He shot 8-9 from the floor, raising his field goal percentage to an elite 74.8 percent mark on the season. His fellow rookie, Prosper, provided a needed boost by having his first double-figure scoring game of his NBA career with 11 points while adding four rebounds and versatile defense. 

The guard rotation around Docnic stepped up in needed ways. Hardy had 19 points and four assists while converting five times from beyond the arc. Exum recorded 16 points, four rebounds, six assists, and two steals, continuing a recent trend of him serving as a valuable complement on both ends. Seth Curry, who had a momentum-boosting four-point play, totaled six points, three rebounds, and two assists. 

Markieff Morris and A.J. Lawson both stepped into larger roles than usual and made plays in timely moments. Providing physical defense and some shooting, Morris had six points, three rebounds, two assists, two steals, and one block in 21 minutes of action. Lawson missed each of his four attempts from deep but scored four points, including yet another explosive dunk on a transition leak out. 

With the Grizzlies deploying a cast of big perimeter players, the Mavs deployed more double-big lineups, featuring Morris at the four alongside Lively and Dwight Powell. Typically, Dallas would utilize Kleber in such a role, but he remains sidelined. 

Jackson finished with 41 points, four rebounds, two steals, and two blocks, often posing a matchup problem, regardless of the Mavs' primary defender. Bane was a valuable contributor, too, adding 28 points, eight assists, and one steal. However, Vince Williams Jr., who often got into it with Doncic, was the only other double-figure scorer, chipping in 10 points and nine rebounds.

The Mavs quickly return to action as they complete the second game of a back-to-back against the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday at American Airlines Center.