MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE — The Dallas Mavericks trounced the Memphis Grizzlies 125-110 on Monday night, led by Luka Doncic’s 35 points, 12 rebounds, and 12 assists. Derrick Jones Jr. added 22 points.
Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 21 points for Dallas, and Grant Williams added 15. Doncic recorded his 58th career triple-double against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday, hitting 11 of 22 from the field and 6 of 12 from 3-point range. Dallas is now undefeated.
“It’s a great start,” Doncic said. “We know we have a lot of games left, but it’s always (nice) to have a great start.”
Memphis was led by Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr., who each scored 30 points. Jackson pulled down nine rebounds. Marcus Smart finished the game with 23 points before fouling out late.
The Grizzlies fell to 0-4, marking the first time since 2004 that Memphis has dropped its first four games of the season. Monday’s game had the highest loss margin.
“We’ve been close,” Bane said of the rough start, “and sooner rather than later, we’re going to get in the win column.”
Memphis continued to play short-handed with frontline injuries and the 25-game suspension of last year’s leading scorer, Ja Morant.
Meanwhile Mavs starting guard Kyrie Irving was a late scratch with a left foot sprain. With Irving out of the lineup, Jones, who only scored a total of five points in Dallas’ first two games, was the offensive sparkplug to fill the void. He made 7 of 10 shots in the game, and was 4 of 6 from long distance.
“We’re looking for him to be him,” Dallas coach Jason Kidd said of Jones, whose 22 points were three short of his career high. “He’s a pro. … He’s worked on his 3-pointer, and you could see that tonight.”
Doncic dominated the first half, scoring 22 points, 15 of which came in the second quarter of a close game. With 18 points in the first half, Bane attempted to keep Memphis in the game.
The Mavericks, on the other hand, lead 67-61 at the half, owing in part to a 15-for-26 performance from beyond the arc.
The Grizzlies, who led by eight points in the second quarter, were fighting from behind, like they have in most of their games this season. The Mavericks extended their lead to 11 points in the third quarter, shooting better than 50% overall and from 3-point range.
Memphis attempted to stifle Doncic by double-teaming him, but this just resulted in open shots for other players and assists for the Mavericks guard.“Luka did an amazing job getting two defenders on him, and hitting the open guy,” said Hardaway, who was 8 of 14 from the field. “Luka’s always preaching to the guys to play four on three” if he is double-teamed.
The Dallas lead reached 17 points in the fourth.
“You go down (17 points) in the fourth quarter, and you’ve got one of two options — you can either lay down or keep fighting,” Bane said. “I thought we responded well after that, and were able to get the lead down. … There’s no quit in this team.”
Memphis did rally in the final frame by scoring 11 straight points, including a trio of 3-pointers to cut the lead to 110-106 with five minutes left. But an inside basket by Josh Green and another 3-pointer from Doncic extended the lead to double digits.
For Memphis it was another disappointment as it deals with injuries and waits on Morant’s return in December.
“I thought our execution offensively for the majority of the game was good. Late in the game, that’s where it starts with me,” Memphis coach Taylor Jenkins said. “Got to be better organized. Got to knock down shots throughout the game.
“This was a step in the right direction.”