Mavericks at Grizzlies
The best offense and the best defense in the NBA tangle for the first time this season when high-scoring Dallas visits a physical Memphis squad on Tuesday in a matchup of Southwest Division heavyweights. Both teams overcame rare home losses their last time out, the Mavericks posting a 125-102 win over Milwaukee on Sunday to improve to 10-2 against the Eastern Conference. Chandler Parsons shot 11-of-14 in a 28-point effort as the highest-scoring team in the league shot 58.3 percent.
The Grizzlies displayed their league-leading defense in a 103-87 win over Miami on Sunday, but bested the Mavericks' hot-shooting night by posting a season-high 58.9 percent mark from the floor. The guard trio of Mike Conley, Courtney Lee and Tony Allen led the charge with a collective 21-for-25 showing, including a perfect 5-for-5 display from long range. Dallas dictated the pace in last season's series, winning three of four games while averaging 107.8 points.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBA TV, FSN Southwest (Dallas), SportSouth (Memphis)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (16-6): Parsons' occasional shooting woes have been the outlier in Dallas' offensive dominance this season, as the fourth-year pro is shooting a career-low 42.9 percent in his first campaign with the Mavericks. However, he is a more respectable 44.5 percent over his last 15 games and is at 49.2 percent in December, an indication of a slow turnaround. "He is just really working at it," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle told reporters Sunday. "We canceled shootaround, but he came in and wanted to shoot, so we shot for 20-30 minutes."
ABOUT THE GRIZZLIES (16-4): Center Marc Gasol had 28 points in a loss to San Antonio on Friday while reserve Jon Leuer never appeared, but Memphis showed its depth and ability to shuffle roles in the victory over Miami. As Gasol was held to a season-low two points, Leuer emerged with season bests of 20 points and 12 rebounds in just 24 minutes. "He played out of his mind," Lee told reporters about Leuer, who has shot better than 50 percent in 11 of his last 12 appearances after going 3-for-20 over the first six contests this season.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Mavericks F Dirk Nowitzki averaged 25 points on 56.7 percent in four games against the Grizzlies in 2013-14.
2. Dallas entered Monday ranked third in the NBA in shooting (48.1) while Memphis was fifth (47.2).
3. Lee is third in the league from beyond the arc (52.8 percent).