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Mavericks Vs. Grizzlies Final: Memphis Never Trails, Wins 94-89

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.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.