Mavericks at Grizzlies
THE STORY: The Memphis Grizzlies were on a roll when the All-Star break arrived and look to keep it going when they open the second half against the Dallas Mavericks. Memphis has won seven of nine and has the seventh-best record in the Western Conference despite being in fourth place in the tough Southwest Division. The Mavericks are in second place in the division and have lost two straight games. Dallas lost at home Tuesday to the New Jersey Nets.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, Fox Sports Southwest (Dallas), SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (21-14): The home loss against New Jersey was the first for Dallas since the 1999-2000 season and was due to poor marksmanship. Dallas shot just 36 percent and missed its first 13 shots of the fourth quarter before staging a late run that almost stole a win away from the Nets. Dirk Nowitzki scored 24 points but was shaky from both the field (7 of 19) and free-throw line (7 of 11). “It was brutal, like the whole game,” Nowitzki said. “We were off. We couldn’t make a shot. It was ugly – ball-handling and shooting. Everything was sloppy. It was a tough night.”
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (19-15): Center Marc Gasol has been a major force and has softened the blow of losing star Zach Randolph with his steady play. Gasol is averaging career highs for points (15), rebounds (10.1), assists (3.1) and blocked shots (2.2) and was named to his first All-Star squad. The only other players to represent Memphis in the game are Randolph (2010) and Gasol’s more famous brother, Pau (2006). Marc Gasol has stepped out of Pau’s shadow this season with 17 double-doubles.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. Memphis went 3-1 against Dallas last season but the franchise is just 13-50 overall against the Mavericks.
2. Mavericks forward Lamar Odom will miss third straight game due to personal issues.
3. Grizzlies forward Rudy Gay has scored 20 or more points in 17 of the last 25 games.