Jaden Hardy, Josh Green Shine, Mavs Get Swept in Mini-Series vs. Grizzlies

Without their top three scorers available to play, the Dallas Mavericks lost to the Memphis Grizzlies to complete the second part of a two-game mini-series.

DALLAS — Without Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, or Christian Wood in the lineup, the Dallas Mavericks sought to avoid falling below .500 after facing the Memphis Grizzlies in the final part of a two-game home-and-home series. The Mavs proved unable to do so as they lost 104-88. 

As a result of their latest loss, the Mavs have dropped to 34-35 on the season. After achieving a win in consecutive games against Dallas, the Grizzlies managed to improve their overall record to 41-26.

Jaden Hardy put together an impressive first quarter by scoring 16 of the Mavs' 25 first quarter points. No other player scored over two in the period, and Dallas trailed 29-25 entering the second quarter. Without the team's three top scorers, he provided a necessary spark, finishing with 28 points, eight rebounds, and three assists. Josh Green had a standout performance with 23 points, five rebounds, and seven assists, but nobody else reached double-figures scoring threshold.

Not only was Hardy's start to the game impressive, but made a little bit of history, too. He became the first Mavs rookie since Luka Doncic in 2018 to score at least 15 points in a quarter. He also passed Jeremy Sochan for the NBA's highest scoring quarter by a rookie this season. 

Despite some early success for the Mavs, the Grizzlies took control of the momentum of the game in the third quarter. With a shortage of adequate defensive personnel and reliable offensive threats, after being outscored by a substantial 15-point margin in the period, the Mavs faced a then game-high 14-point deficit before the start of the final frame. 

With 9:22 remaining in regulation, there was a low-point reached for the Mavs as the game continued to unravel. Hardy had pushed Maxi Kleber in the back to get him to take his assignment, then the defense was a step behind the rest of the play, resulting in a made 3-pointer for Bane — putting the Mavs down 21.

There was a slight rally attempt from the Mavs to cut it back down to 14 about midway through the fourth quarter, but a lengthy scoring drought ensued, spanning over five minutes when Dallas failed to even score — from the 7:34 mark to 2:24 left. 

The Mavs hit the road once again to begin a three-game stretch away from the American Airlines Center. Next on their schedule is a matchup against the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday at AT&T Center

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