After a chaotic second half of the season, following the historic trade of Luka Doncic, the Dallas Mavericks have left the building.
The worst season in franchise history has officially ended as they have been crushed and put out of their misery by the Memphis Grizzlies in the No. 8 seed game in the Western Conference Play-In Tournament. The Grizzlies advance but have a tough road ahead in a first-round series against MVP favorite Shai Gilgeous-Alexander the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Mavericks, meanwhile, are left scratching their heads and sorting through the aftermath of their disastrous Doncic trade.
The one Maverick who showed up ready to go and left everything out on the floor, was the one they got back in that deal. Anthony Davis, clearly not 100%, playing through a back injury, was outstanding. He was the superstar they were hoping for and delivered 40 points and nine rebounds in 37 minutes of action. He outscored the four remaining Dallas starters, 40-to-31, as P.J. Washington and Dereck Lively were held scoreless.
The Grizzlies were clicking on all cylinders and seem to have pulled themselves together after the late-season funk that led to, and then followed, the surprising firing of head coach Taylor Jenkins. They pushed the seventh seed Golden State Warriors to the brink on Tuesday with a 121-116 loss, and Friday night, they ran the Mavericks out of the arena. Ja Morant, who was a game-time decision due to an ankle injury, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. combined for a grand total of 68 points, and now the Grizzlies will try to do the improvable against the Western Conference favorites in the first round.
Embed from Getty Images“A series is a series,” Jackson said. “You’ve got to stay level-headed. Whether you win a game or lose a game, it really doesn’t matter until it’s over.”
The No. 10 seeded Miami Heat clinched the last remaining playoff in the Eastern Conference on Friday, but it does not look like there will be another one. The Grizzlies were up comfortable on the Mavericks through two quarters in Memphis, 66-49. The winner has earned the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference.
Like the Grizzlies, the Mavericks were battered and bruised limping into the end of the season, going 7-15 since March 1. In the process, they also lost Kyrie Irving to left knee surgery after dealing with a trade that brought Davis to Dallas and sent Doncic to the Lakers.
“An incredible season, but the change (trading Doncic for AD) and injuries, some would say we shouldn’t even be there,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “So, give those guys in that locker room a lot of credit.”
Davis was a one man show with 22 points at the half. With Irving injured and maligned GM Nico Harrison refusing to add more talent at the deadline, he is all the Mavericks have right now. That was not nearly enough.
“We had our chances. Obviously, a tough loss,” Davis said.
It would not be a Grizzlies game without one crazy Morant highlight. Despite playing on an injured ankle that he took an injection in two hours before the tip off, he still had plenty of hops. Midway through the first quarter, Santi Aldama missed a runner as Memphis led by 13, but Morant flew in like Superman from behind the 3-point line, reached all the way back to grab the rebound, and then slammed the ball in one fluid motion. It was the biggest highlight of a dominant first quarter performance by the Grizzlies.
Morant was injured Tuesday night at Golden State in the Grizzlies’ play-in opener and was questionable to play Friday.
“The doctors gave me all the help I needed in the simplest terms,” said Morant, whose availability was not certain until about 30 minutes before gametime “I wanted to be on the floor. I wanted to play this game and get the win.”
