Brandon Williams, Naji Marshall Deliver Career Nights as Mavericks Lose to Grizzlies: “We’re Built on Team”

Ja Morant scored 31 points, including the game’s final seven, and Desmond Bane added 27 points with a career-high 16 rebounds as the Memphis Grizzlies rallied late to beat the shorthanded Dallas Mavericks 122-111 on Friday night, snapping their four-game losing streak.

Brandon Williams provided a spark for Dallas, finishing with a career-best 31 points off the bench along with six assists and five rebounds. Williams joined Mark Aguirre as the only players in Mavericks history to record at least 30 points, five rebounds, and five assists coming off the bench.

“He’s fighting to get a job, and he’s got a great opportunity to get an NBA contract,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said of Williams. “He’s got to take advantage of these opportunities, and he showed that tonight.”

Naji Marshall also delivered career-highs with 29 points and 17 rebounds, becoming just the 21st player in franchise history to record at least 25 points and 15 rebounds in a game.

With Dallas missing Kyrie Irving (season-ending torn ACL) and Anthony Davis (left adductor strain, indefinite timetable), Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said the offense is no longer built around a clear top option.

“No, there’s no number one option,” Kidd said. “Everyone touches it and whoever is open shoots it. We don’t have a number one or a number two. We’re not built like that right now. We’re built on team.”

Williams made the most of his opportunity, but credited the gravity that Klay Thompson and others command, opening favorable chances for him to attack and make plays.

“I just took what the defense gave,” Williams said. “Ultimately, they were looking at the other guys that we had, respectfully. Klay draws a lot of gravity, as well as many other guys on our team. Just feeding off of that and just taking what defense gives.”

Despite their depleted roster, the Mavericks led 94-89 entering the fourth quarter following a buzzer-beating three-pointer from Danté Exum. However, the Mavericks struggled offensively down the stretch, managing just one field goal over the game’s final seven minutes.

Morant, who finished with 31 points, scored the game’s final seven, beginning with a layup at the 1:35 mark, followed by a jumper, and finally a game-sealing 3-pointer with 30 seconds left.

“He was Ja,” Kidd said. “He got to the paint and finished. He took 29 shots. We tried to make it tough on him, but he made the ones that counted.”

Desmond Bane complemented Morant’s effort, posting 27 points and grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds, as Memphis dominated inside, outscoring Dallas 74-38 in the paint. Despite playing without Jaren Jackson Jr. (left ankle injury), the Grizzlies also outrebounded Dallas 60-45. Zach Edey contributed significantly, grabbing 12 rebounds, including 9 offensive boards. Dallas was severely outmatched physically by starting 6-foot-7 wing Kessler Edwards at center, with Anthony Davis (left adductor strain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Daniel Gafford (right knee sprain), and Kai Jones (left quad strain) sidelined.

Marshall, who grabbed 6 of his 17 rebounds on the offensive glass, described the rebounding battle as an exercise in resilience despite being undersized.

“We’re down a lot of players, so I got to help my team crash the boards,” Marshall said. “They were leaving me open tonight, so I was just making the right reads.”

Caleb Martin made his Dallas debut in a return from a hip strain that sidelined him since Jan. 10, recording two points, four rebounds, and three assists.

Olivier-Maxence Prosper (right wrist sprain) joined Irving in being sidelined for the season due to a wrist injury. Dallas also played with P.J. Washington and Jaden Hardy, both sidelined by right ankle sprains. The Mavericks needed one of Exum or Martin to be upgraded from questionable to available to have eight players for this game, which is required to field for an NBA game.

With their fourth straight loss and sixth in seven games, Dallas dropped to 32-32, reaching .500 for the first time since early in the season. Kidd, however, praised his team’s effort amid adversity.

“This group is tough,” Kidd said. “The character is extremely high. They understand the situation at a high level, and they’re taking full advantage of the situation. Again, as a Maverick, they’re out there trying to do the right thing to win, and they’re given an opportunity, and it just shows that they’re ready for this opportunity.

“The group, again, we played until the end,” Kidd explained. “We gave ourselves a chance to win. We gave up (33) points in the fourth, and we couldn’t score, and they did.”

Dallas will host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday afternoon. The Mavericks are ranked 10th in the Western Conference and have a 2.5-game lead over the 11th-ranked Suns. The outcome of the game could strongly influence the final play-in spot.

“It’s a long season, and Phoenix don’t care that we lost or about my emotions,” Marshall said. “We just got to lock in and try our best to put that behind us and beat Phoenix.”