The Grizzlies’ margin for error is officially gone.
Memphis will host the Mavericks on April 18 (8:30 p.m., ESPN) in an NBA play-in elimination game. The winner will move on to the playoffs to face the top-seeded Thunder, while the loser’s season will be over. The Grizzlies were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and lost to the Warriors on Tuesday, while the Mavericks were the No. 10 seed and beat the Kings on Wednesday.
Both teams have been backsliding over the back half of the season — though each team has vastly different problems. The Mavericks shocked the sports world when they traded superstar Luka Dončić at the trade deadline. Anthony Davis missed time with an injury, and then Kyrie Irving tore his ACL. That left Dallas at No. 10, barely in the postseason.
Davis is back, though, and the Mavericks blew out the Kings to earn a shot at the Grizzlies at FedExForum.
Mavericks, Grizzlies meeting for 2nd time in a week
These two teams actually played each other on April 13, but neither team had much to play for and both rested most of their key players. The Grizzlies won that game and won the season series 3-1, but it’s hard for either team to take much from any of those games.
Davis didn’t play in any of them, and the Mavericks are a completely different team when he’s in the fold. That’ll be the key matchup for the Grizzlies’ defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to draw that assignment. The Mavericks present a completely different challenge than the Grizzlies last opponent, because the Warriors used a variety of small lineups while the Mavericks will lean on size with Davis, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.
Contending with that size will mean it’s another key game for Grizzlies center Zach Edey, who’s played a major role over the past few games and has been rebounding at an extremely high rate.
Grizzlies have taken windy path to NBA playoffs
Even a couple months ago, the Grizzlies weren’t anywhere near the play-in. They were No. 2 in the Western Conference when they hosted the Thunder on Feb. 8, and it would’ve been hard to convince someone that night that those two teams could meet again in a first-round playoff series.
But that’s exactly what’s at stake now.
The Grizzlies have struggled since the All-Star break. They fired coach Taylor Jenkins with nine regular-season games to play and installed Tuomas Iisalo as interim head coach, and he’s gone 4-6 in the ensuing 10 games.
Memphis entered Tuesday’s play-in game as a significant underdog, but the Grizzlies erased a 20-point deficit and came back to give themselves a shot at earning the No. 7 seed. Things unraveled in the final seconds when Santi Aldama couldn’t get the ball in and was called for a 5-second violation, relegating the Grizzlies to this final opportunity to make the playoffs.
Will Ja Morant be healthy?
Morant has battled injuries and has been in and out of the lineup all season. He landed awkwardly on his ankle in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game and had to exit after shooting a free throw.
After a brief period on the bench, he returned to the game. He was clearly affected by the injury and was limping, but he stayed in the game until the end. He did not attempt a shot after the 3:44 mark of the fourth quarter.
Still, Morant said postgame that he expected to play on Friday.
“I’m playing,” Morant said. “That’s basically the answer I’m giving. It ain’t nothing different.”
Grizzlies vs Mavericks score prediction
Grizzlies 126, Mavericks 120. Both teams go on runs, and Davis plays well. But the Grizzlies build a lead in the second half and hold off a late rally from Dallas to reach the playoffs.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies vs Mavericks: Score prediction, scouting report for play-in
The Grizzlies’ margin for error is officially gone.
Memphis will host the Mavericks on April 18 (8:30 p.m., ESPN) in an NBA play-in elimination game. The winner will move on to the playoffs to face the top-seeded Thunder, while the loser’s season will be over. The Grizzlies were the No. 8 seed in the Western Conference and lost to the Warriors on Tuesday, while the Mavericks were the No. 10 seed and beat the Kings on Wednesday.
Both teams have been backsliding over the back half of the season — though each team has vastly different problems. The Mavericks shocked the sports world when they traded superstar Luka Dončić at the trade deadline. Anthony Davis missed time with an injury, and then Kyrie Irving tore his ACL. That left Dallas at No. 10, barely in the postseason.
Davis is back, though, and the Mavericks blew out the Kings to earn a shot at the Grizzlies at FedExForum.
Mavericks, Grizzlies meeting for 2nd time in a week
These two teams actually played each other on April 13, but neither team had much to play for and both rested most of their key players. The Grizzlies won that game and won the season series 3-1, but it’s hard for either team to take much from any of those games.
Davis didn’t play in any of them, and the Mavericks are a completely different team when he’s in the fold. That’ll be the key matchup for the Grizzlies’ defense. Jaren Jackson Jr. is likely to draw that assignment. The Mavericks present a completely different challenge than the Grizzlies last opponent, because the Warriors used a variety of small lineups while the Mavericks will lean on size with Davis, Dereck Lively and Daniel Gafford.
Contending with that size will mean it’s another key game for Grizzlies center Zach Edey, who’s played a major role over the past few games and has been rebounding at an extremely high rate.
Grizzlies have taken windy path to NBA playoffs
Even a couple months ago, the Grizzlies weren’t anywhere near the play-in. They were No. 2 in the Western Conference when they hosted the Thunder on Feb. 8, and it would’ve been hard to convince someone that night that those two teams could meet again in a first-round playoff series.
But that’s exactly what’s at stake now.
The Grizzlies have struggled since the All-Star break. They fired coach Taylor Jenkins with nine regular-season games to play and installed Tuomas Iisalo as interim head coach, and he’s gone 4-6 in the ensuing 10 games.
Memphis entered Tuesday’s play-in game as a significant underdog, but the Grizzlies erased a 20-point deficit and came back to give themselves a shot at earning the No. 7 seed. Things unraveled in the final seconds when Santi Aldama couldn’t get the ball in and was called for a 5-second violation, relegating the Grizzlies to this final opportunity to make the playoffs.
Will Ja Morant be healthy?
Morant has battled injuries and has been in and out of the lineup all season. He landed awkwardly on his ankle in the third quarter of Tuesday’s game and had to exit after shooting a free throw.
After a brief period on the bench, he returned to the game. He was clearly affected by the injury and was limping, but he stayed in the game until the end. He did not attempt a shot after the 3:44 mark of the fourth quarter.
Still, Morant said postgame that he expected to play on Friday.
“I’m playing,” Morant said. “That’s basically the answer I’m giving. It ain’t nothing different.”
Grizzlies vs Mavericks score prediction
Grizzlies 126, Mavericks 120. Both teams go on runs, and Davis plays well. But the Grizzlies build a lead in the second half and hold off a late rally from Dallas to reach the playoffs.
Reach sports writer Jonah Dylan at [email protected] or on X @thejonahdylan.
This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Grizzlies vs Mavericks: Score prediction, scouting report for play-in
