Enough was finally enough for the Memphis Grizzlies. After 13 consecutive losses to the Dallas Mavericks, the Grizzlies outplayed them in every facet of the game on Sunday as they claimed a shocking 102-82 win.
The Grizzlies threatened to hold the Mavericks to a season-low scoring output, missing out by only a point. They showed the kind of defensive effort that was their calling card in the first few weeks of the season. More surprisingly, however, the Grizzlies shook off their status as the league's worst rebounding team to outrebound the league-leading Mavs 43-34. As a result, they dominated second-chance points 26-12. That is what they have to do to win against playoff contenders. The Grizzlies must win second-chance points and points off turnovers to win on a consistent basis.
The Grizzlies haven't been a team that will shoot the lights out this season, which is why they reached out to get Darius Miles and Steve Francis. Outside of that, the most critical stats for them are going to be second-chance points and points off turnovers. If you aren't scoring with your offense, you have to clean up after yourself and score off your defense.
The Grizzlies showed some resilience on Sunday, overcoming a second-quarter shooting slump in which they missed 10-of-11 shots to hold a lead at the half. They opened the game by shooting 67 percent, a huge advantage for them. When they don't get off to a good start, the Grizzlies are not great at playing from behind.
Miles made his Grizzlies debut, playing the final 1:46 of the fourth quarter. He will play tomorrow against Minnesota before the team has to decide whether to retain him for the rest of the season. Miles says he would like to stay with the Grizzlies, and since they have only seen one game of what he can bring to the table, I think they will go ahead and sign him for the rest of the season. They could use some experience and leadership on the roster.
Hakim Warrick scored in double figures for the seventh straight game, recording 18 points.
Steve Francis was available for Sunday's game but did not play.
The Grizzlies have a good chance to pick up their second consecutive win with the Timberwolves coming to town tomorrow. They should be motivated after being embarrassed in Minneapolis last week.
Keywords: Dallas Mavericks, Darius Miles, Hakim Warrick, Memphis Grizzlies, Steve Francis
