(Sports Network) – Marc Gasol’s free throw with 6.7 seconds left in regulation was enough to give the Memphis Grizzlies a 91-90 triumph over the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center.
Gasol, battling through an ankle injury that caused him to miss Memphis’ season-opening loss to Atlanta, pulled down a Jason Terry miss with 29.7 seconds left and the score tied, 90-90.
Rudy Gay let the clock wind down before driving and missing a mid-range jumper. Gasol, though, skyed over Tyson Chandler for the rebound and drew a foul, making 1-of-2 attempts for the slim lead.
After a timeout, Terry briefly lost the ball before calling timeout with 1.9 seconds to go, and O.J. Mayo stole Jason Kidd’s subsequent inbound pass to secure the Grizzlies’ first win in Dallas since November 2005.
Gasol had 15 rebounds — six offensive — and 10 points, while Gay and Mayo provided 21 and 20 points, respectively, for Memphis.
Dirk Nowitzki led Dallas with 27 points and seven rebounds, and Caron Butler had 18 and six in the loss. The Mavs were coming off a win over Charlotte in their season opener on Wednesday.
Dallas led 29-24 after the first quarter thanks to a late Butler jumper. The lead reached double-digits, 35-25, on Terry’s bucket off a Memphis turnover early in the second.
Mayo answered with six straight points, but the Mavs still held a healthy 50-41 edge at intermission.
A Mike Conley three-point play sparked a 14-4 spurt that Mayo ended with a three-pointer for a 62-61 lead with 4 1/2 minutes left in the third.
Dallas’ 10-2 flurry in the final 1:22 resulted in a 75-69 edge with 12 minutes to play.
In keeping with the storyline throughout the contest, Memphis responded with a 12-2 stretch early the fourth — eight coming from the foul line — that gave the visitors the lead. It was nip-and-tuck the rest of the way.
Game Notes
Grizzlies center Zach Randolph did not play because of a lower back contusion…Darrell Arthur chipped in 14 points for Memphis, which also got 10 points off the bench from Tony Allen…Terry and Shawn Marion scored 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Dallas…Kidd ended with 10 assists, nine points and six rebounds…Memphis made up for a 38.8 percent shooting effort by forcing 20 turnovers.