“It’s Win or Go Home”: Mavericks Fall to Grizzlies, Set for Play-In Clash with Kings
The Dallas Mavericks entered Sunday with one simple goal: stay healthy. They left FedExForum with a lopsided 132-97 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies, another injury, and a clear path ahead — a win-or-go-home matchup in the NBA Play-In Tournament.
Before tipoff, head coach Jason Kidd emphasized the importance of avoiding further injuries. But that hope unraveled early when point guard Brandon Williams exited in the first half with a strained left oblique.
“We’ll take pictures of that tomorrow and have a better answer for you,” Kidd said after Monday’s practice. “We need his speed and his ability to get to the rim and score. And being able to shoot the three and play-make.”
The Mavericks rested several starters — Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson, P.J. Washington, and Dereck Lively II — while Kyrie Irving (torn ACL) and Olivier-Maxence Prosper (wrist surgery) remain out. The result was a skeleton rotation that couldn’t keep pace with Memphis, which also rested most of its core but produced dominant results.
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Lamar Stevens led the Grizzlies with 31 points, while Marvin Bagley III added 25 points and 11 rebounds. Cam Spencer scored 23, dished out seven assists, and Jay Huff chipped in 22 points. Memphis (48-34) cruised to the No. 8 seed in the West and will face the Warriors on Tuesday.
Dallas (39-43) finishes as the No. 10 seed and will travel to Sacramento on Wednesday for a 9 p.m. CT showdown against the Kings. The season ends for the loser.
Rotation Players Step Up, But Defense Falters
Daniel Gafford provided a spark for Dallas, scoring 20 points on 8-of-10 shooting with seven rebounds and two blocks in just 19 minutes. Jaden Hardy added 17 points, Max Christie finished with 14 points and five rebounds, while Naji Marshall and Kai Jones chipped in 11 points apiece. But Dallas turned the ball over 18 times and surrendered 36 fast-break points.
“Our energy and effort were there to start, and then it just kind of went away,” Kidd said. “We got to go to Sac with the group that you’re going to war with — we’ll be fine. This is a game that others had an opportunity to play, and some did and some didn’t.”
Gafford echoed the “next man up” sentiment. “You got to come out and just give 110 percent no matter who we got on the floor. We just got to go out and play the same game we’ve always been playing.”
The Mavericks were outscored 38-28 in the first quarter and trailed by double digits at the half, 67-54. The Grizzlies blew the game open in the third, using a 37-point frame to take a commanding 104-75 lead. Memphis led by as many as 41 points.
Injuries and Mental Toll Mount
Dallas’ injury woes have defined its season. Even with a healthy frontcourt rotation emerging late, the guard corps remains thin. Williams’ oblique injury — just days after signing a two-year deal — adds another concern heading into the play-in. He’s considered questionable to play against the Kings.
“I saw that he was going to the back, but I didn’t think that he was going to be out for the rest of the game,” Gafford said. “Hopefully, he has a speedy recovery for this play-in game that we have.”
Falling into a single-elimination scenario is a stark reminder of how turbulent the year has been for a team that made the NBA Finals last season.
“There’s a lot of mental frustrations, a lot of emotions with a lot of stuff that went on throughout the team injury-wise,” Gafford said. “Despite all the bodies that we lost, we still had guys come out every day and just put that jersey on and just come out and play hard.”
All Eyes on Sacramento
With the regular season complete, the Mavericks can now focus exclusively on the Kings, who swept Dallas 3-0. Sacramento finished with the No. 9 seed and will host Wednesday’s game.
“We’ve got to prepare these next two days very diligently for this team,” Christie said. “They’re a good team regardless of their record. We just got to try and take care of business.”
Christie, who has played in the play-in tournament every year of his NBA career, compared the atmosphere to NCAA March Madness.
“It’s a playoff game. It really is,” he said. “It’s a do-or-die NCAA March Madness type game. This is not just another regular-season game. It requires a different level of focus, and it requires a different level of play.”
Christie acknowledged that winning in Sacramento won’t be easy.
“That place is really hard to win in a playoff atmosphere, so we’re looking forward to that challenge,” he said. “I think if we can get past that game, then that’ll help us hopefully get into the playoffs.”
Dallas is confident it can reset and deliver in a high-stakes environment.
“It’s win or go home now,” Gafford said. “So we got to come in ready to play.”
Up Next
The Mavericks will face the Kings in Sacramento on Wednesday at 9 p.m. CT in a Western Conference Play-In Tournament elimination game. The winner will face the loser of Tuesday’s Grizzlies-Warriors game for the No. 8 playoff seed.
