Despite clawing within one possession several times in the second half, the Dallas Mavericks couldn't overcome an extremely lethargic start in a 94-89 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night.
Every time the Mavericks made a charge, the Grizzlies answered with a basket in the paint, as they overwhelmed the smaller Dallas front-line. Zach Randolph had 15 points and 11 rebounds off the bench, while Rudy Gay lead all scorers with 25 points on 9-15 shooting.
With little lift in his legs after playing 43 minutes on Friday night, Dirk Nowitzki could never get his offense going, scoring 17 points on 5-12 shooting.
However, the Mavericks were almost overcome their star's poor shooting thanks to another strong offensive performance from reserve center Brandan Wright, a Nashville native who had 16 points on 7-11 shooting, many of them above the rim dunks.
Unfortunately, his lack of bulk ended up costing Dallas, as Memphis was able to get multiple second-chance opportunities in the fourth quarter, with Gilbert Arenas scoring 14 points on 3-5 shooting from beyond the arc.
The loss gave the Grizzlies the season tiebreaker over the Mavericks, while pushing Memphis up the playoff chase and sending Dallas tumbling down it.