Shawn Marion (above) and others picked up the slack after Dirk Nowitzki's injury in the first half as the Mavs coasted to their third straight road win to start the season. (AP Photo/Alan Spearman)Even without superstar Dirk Nowitzki (who left the game briefly after rolling his ankle in the first half) at 100 percent, the Dallas Mavericks (5-2) found a way to pull out a double-digit victory against the Memphis Grizzlies (4-5). Six Mavs scored in double figures as Dallas cruised, scoring a season-high 106 points Wednesday night in Memphis.
"I thought we spread the ball around great," said Tyson Chandler, who had 11 points and eight boards. "The wings got out on a run, and we were able to open things up, and obviously Jason Kidd made every right play at the right time."
Kidd dished out 12 assists for the game, seemingly finding a man open near the basket at will, especially in the the second half.
One of the recipients of those passes that led to easy buckets, newly inserted starter Shawn Marion, scored a season-high 20 points on an efficient 10 for 15 shooting from the floor. The Matrix also tacked on seven boards and two blocks in easily his best game of the season.
Coming off the bench for the second straight game, Jason Terry led Dallas with 25 points - equally efficient from the floor on 11 for 16 shooting - and had three steals as everyone picked up the slack with Nowitzki hobbled. Even Nowitzki chimed in with 12 points and 10 rebounds (), coming back in spurts in the second half to provide his team a lift.
"This guy is so tough, it is ridiculous," Dallas coach Rick Carlisle said of Nowitzki's return. "Not many guys would come back in and try to play after rolling an ankle like that. But it really helped us. His presence on the floor changes the geometry of the game, even if he is not touching the ball."
Defense A Key
For the fifth time this season, the Mavericks held an opponent under 100 points in a game. In fact, this was also only the second time all season that Memphis has been held under triple digits - both coming against these Mavs.
"Defense was the key," Memphis guard Mike Conley said.
The Mavericks are currently fifth in the NBA in points allowed per game (91.7).
What's Next
Dallas returns home Friday night to take on the Philadelphia 76ers. Philly is 2-6 for the season, 1-3 on the road, and are led by reinvigorated Elton Brand - who leads the team in both points (18.4) and rebounds (8.3) through eight games.
Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. at the AAC.
News and Notes:
- Jason Kidd has dished out 10 or more assists in five of seven games so far this season. Kidd is now second in the NBA at 10.9 per contest.
- Starter DeShawn Stevenson tied his highest scoring game as a Maverick, supplying 11 points in 21 minutes of action.
(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)
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