“Leave Everything Out on the Floor”: Anthony Davis Drops 40, But Mavericks Eliminated by Grizzlies in Play-In Loss
The Dallas Mavericks’ tumultuous 2024–25 season came to a close Friday night with a 120–106 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum, ending their hopes of reaching the playoffs. The result made the Mavs the 11th team in NBA history to miss the playoffs coming off an NBA Finals run. However, it was the first time a team failed to do so during the play-in tournament era.
Anthony Davis scored a season-high 40 points and grabbed nine rebounds while playing through a calf injury that ultimately forced him to the bench with just over five minutes remaining. As Davis limped off and draped a towel over his head, the Mavericks’ season officially slipped away.
“I just wanted to leave everything out on the floor, no matter what,” Davis said after the loss. “You lose, you go home. Tomorrow is not guaranteed. So, I just wanted to leave everything out on the floor no matter what.”
Davis was injured after taking a knee to the calf from Memphis center Zach Edey in the fourth quarter. He briefly returned, but was limited and didn’t finish the game.
Early Deficit Dooms Dallas
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Memphis never trailed and led by as many as 25 in the first half. The Grizzlies came out firing, jumping out to a 7–0 start and then extending their lead to 34–14 in the first quarter. Live-ball turnovers plagued the Mavericks, who committed 16 for the game—seven in the first quarter alone, leading to 11 points for Memphis. Dallas also allowed 16 offensive rebounds and was outscored 60–44 in the paint.
“They just sped us up and turned us over,” said Klay Thompson, who scored 18 points. “We dug ourselves too big of a hole, but I think we responded well to start the second. It sucks. It’s a one-game elimination—there’s no adjustments you can make, there’s no game to look forward to again. It just stinks.”
Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd echoed that sentiment, acknowledging his team’s effort but lamenting the costly mistakes.
“We got turnovers and they shot the ball extremely well in that first half,” Kidd said. “But I thought the response after that when we cut it to seven was good, and we just never could get over the hump after that. Live-ball turnovers against this team puts you in a bad situation, and that’s what happened.”
Dallas cut the lead to 75–68 midway through the third quarter, but a Davis three-pointer rimmed out that could’ve made it a four-point game. Memphis responded with another scoring run and stretched the lead back to 108–88 in the fourth quarter.
Davis Carries the Load
Davis finished 16-of-29 from the field and had 36 points by the end of the third quarter. He tried to will Dallas back in the game with his scoring and interior presence.
“When you look at our leader, I thought him and Klay played well,” Kidd said. “I thought AD did everything he could to help us win. Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot the ball straight. We had some great opportunities that just didn’t fall for us. A lot of balls went in and out tonight. We have to shoot better, especially on the road.”
Brandon Williams scored 16 points and dished out seven assists, while Naji Marshall added 13 points. But Dallas didn’t have enough firepower to match Memphis’ balanced attack, particularly after Davis exited late in the game.
Morant Returns, Grizzlies Advance
The Grizzlies secured the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed and will now face the top-seeded Oklahoma City Thunder in a best-of-seven first-round series beginning Sunday. Ja Morant, who was questionable after spraining his ankle in Tuesday’s loss to the Warriors, played 33 minutes and delivered 22 points, nine assists, and three steals.
“The doctors gave me all the help I needed in the simplest terms,” Morant said. “I wanted to be on the floor. I wanted to play this game and get the win.”
Jaren Jackson Jr. led Memphis with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Desmond Bane added 22 points and nine assists. Edey contributed 15 points and 11 rebounds.
A Season of Setbacks Ends in Memphis
Dallas finished the season 39–43 after the team’s season was rocked by the blockbuster trade that sent Luka Dončić to the Lakers and brought Davis to Dallas, followed by Kyrie Irving’s season-ending ACL tear.
“Obviously, it was a tough situation,” Davis said. “But I tried to do as much as I can to go out and just when I was on the floor to compete and try to help us win games.”
Despite suggestions he should shut down after his adductor injury, Davis returned to play the final three weeks of the season, saying, “If I was able to play, I wanted to. I think the fans deserved it, my teammates deserved it, the organization deserved it.”
Thompson, who joined Dallas last offseason over a larger offer from the Lakers, declined to speculate on whether he regretted his decision.
“Don’t do this to me. Don’t do that to me. Don’t do that,” Thompson said with a pained laugh. “That’s kind of a ridiculous question. I don’t own a time machine… I’m here in Dallas, and I enjoyed my time, and I’m looking forward to the future.”
Looking Ahead
The Mavericks now enter an offseason full of uncertainty. They’re projected to have a lottery pick in the upcoming NBA Draft, and will need to monitor Irving’s recovery timeline as they rebuild around Davis and a reshuffled supporting cast. Dallas holds the 11th-best odds for the No. 1 overall pick, with an 8.5% chance of a top-four pick.
“We had our chances,” Davis said. “It’s obviously a tough loss. Turnovers killed us. Transition defense. They kind of got into us early on and kind of sped us up. It’s just a tough loss.”
Still, Kidd expressed pride in a team that battled through adversity from start to finish.
“When you look at the injuries that we’ve had and the change, for us to even be here playing in this game tonight, it’s incredible,” Kidd said. “An incredible season with the change and injuries. Some would say we shouldn’t even be here. So give those guys in that locker room a lot of credit.”
