Desmond Bane scored 25 points and rookie David Roddy added a season-high 24 to fuel the host Memphis Grizzlies to a 112-108 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday in the opener of a home-and-home series.
Bane added eight assists and seven rebounds, and Roddy sank four 3-pointers for the Grizzlies, who have won two in a row following a three-game skid.
The teams will reconvene in Dallas on Monday night.
Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. collected 14 points and seven rebounds, and Xavier Tillman had 12 and eight, respectively.
Tyus Jones added 11 points and 10 assists for the Grizzlies, who played their fourth straight game without Ja Morant. The star is away from the club after posting a video on social media last weekend in which he appeared to display a gun at a Denver-area nightclub.
Dallas’ Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 23 points and rookie Jaden Hardy added 22. Josh Green recorded 21 points and 10 rebounds for the Mavericks, who played without stars Luka Doncic (left thigh injury) and Kyrie Irving (right foot soreness).
Hardy’s 3-pointer forged a tie at 104-104 with 2:05 remaining in the fourth quarter before Dillon Brooks sank a free throw to regain the lead for the Grizzlies. Bane then drained a 3-pointer and Jones made four free throws to effectively seal the win.
Green drained a 3-pointer to extend the Mavericks’ lead to 88-77 early in the fourth quarter before the Grizzlies countered with a 16-6 run to pull within one. Hardaway halted the surge by sinking his fourth 3-pointer.
Dallas erased a six-point deficit at halftime by outscoring Memphis 33-21 in the third quarter to take an 83-77 lead. Hardaway highlighted the surge by scoring 13 points in the quarter.
Bane scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor to stake the Grizzlies to a 56-50 lead at halftime. Memphis shot a robust 54.5 percent from the floor despite making just 4 of 20 attempts from 3-point range.
–Field Level Media
