The [Dallas Mavericks](https://www.mavsmoneyball.com) fell to the Memphis Grizzlies Friday night, [losing 122-111.](https://www.mavsmoneyball.com/2025/3/7/24380451/mavericks-vs-grizzlies-final-score-122-111-dallas-memphis-ja-morant-desmond-bane-klay-thompson) The Mavericks jumped out in front early in the game, leading most of the first quarter thanks to some Memphis turnovers. The Grizzlies turned things around and closed the gap, but Dallas refused to go away all game. The teams traded leads over the course of the game and the Mavericks were a fun watch. Ultimately, though, Memphis closed the game and got the win.
Ja Morant led the Grizzlies with 31 points, while Desmond Bane chipped in 27. Brandon Williams led the Mavericks with 31 points, and Naji Marshall was right behind him with 29. Marshall also led both teams with 17 rebounds.
Here are three numbers from the game to know:
+21: The Mavericks’ margin on 3-pointers
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Dallas stayed in this game against a better opponent by out shooting them. No, they didn’t shoot better than Memphis, who actually hit 38 percent of their 3-pointers compared to the Mavericks’ 36 percent. But they shot nearly twice as many three’s as the Grizzlies, and that led to their plus margin when it came to points from deep. Dallas also held a slight edge in fast break points (+8). Both factors gave the Mavericks a chance to win against a Memphis team that isn’t suffering from an apocalyptic plague of injuries.
74: The Grizzlies’ points in the paint
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Dallas is down every big man on the roster and is relying on G League castoffs to protect the paint, so it’s no surprise that Memphis feasted near the rim. The Grizzlies outscored the Mavericks 74-38 in the paint. Memphis had 12 blocks, so they had no issue walling off the restricted area all game. Dallas just has no inside presence, and no players who can penetrate, so they’re reliant on hot shooting to win games at this point.
60: The number of combined points from Naji Marshall and Brandon Williams
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As mentioned above, Marshall and Williams went off tonight. In the absence of more established scorers like Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving, someone has to take on the scoring load. Tonight, it was Marshall and Williams. The two combined to go 20-of-38 from the floor, 5-of-14 from behind the arc, and combined for 60 points. They also combined for eight assists and 22 rebounds. They were the engine of the Mavericks’ offense tonight, and despite the result of the game, it was fun to see.