The Memphis Grizzlies and the visiting Dallas Mavericks find themselves battling slumps as they prepare to meet Monday.
The causes, as one would expect during the course of a grueling NBA season, are mostly injury-induced.
The Grizzlies, losers of two straight, are playing without star guard Ja Morant and key reserves Marcus Smart and Santi Aldama. Morant, currently day-to-day with a Grade 1 AC joint sprain of his right shoulder, has missed 16 games with various ailments this season. He averages 21.2 points and 7.9 assists when healthy enough to take the floor.
The Mavericks, on a four-game skid, are without star, Luka Doncic, who has been sidelined with a left calf injury and will be out for at least three more weeks. Doncic was injured during the team’s Christmas Day game against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Dallas also played Friday without Kyrie Irving in a 134-122 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Irving was a late scratch with an illness and was ruled out for Monday’s game due to a lumbar sprain.
For Memphis, the injuries perhaps have led to another malady. The Grizzlies are among the most turnover-prone teams in the league, averaging 17.4 per game. In Saturday’s 121-113 loss at Golden State, 23 Memphis turnovers led to 28 Warriors points.
Because of the injuries, Desmond Bane and Jaren Jackson Jr. were forced to play more than 34 minutes apiece at Golden State. While Bane contributed a double-double of 22 points and 10 assists, he also committed eight turnovers.
Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins said the team’s abundance of turnovers have been difficult to overcome.
“It’s a lot of stuff,” Jenkins said of the reasons for the miscues. “It’s an area we’ve got to get better at. We’ve got to lean into watching the film. It’s a huge issue for us right now.”
In those 16 games without Morant, the Grizzlies are 9-7. They are 14-6 with him in the lineup. Morant missed the final four games of their five-game road trip, and the team went 1-3.
As for Dallas, the Mavericks were encouraged by the play of Quentin Grimes in the loss to Cleveland. Grimes finished with 26 points and six assists.
Dallas coach Jason Kidd said Grimes was impressive, as he stepped up amid the absences of Doncic and Irving. While the ball won’t be in his hands as much when those two are healthy, Grimes showed he can be effective. Grimes shot 9-of-14 and was two points shy of his season-high.
“He showed (against Cleveland) that he can play-make, and so hopefully, we can add to the playbook in the sense of not relying on just Ky and Luka,” Kidd said. “He was really aggressive. The ball was touching the paint, but his aggressiveness and ability to get to the rim was at a high level. We needed his offense and he responded in a positive way.”
After playing at Memphis, the Mavericks will get to return to Dallas to start a four-game homestand, beginning with the Los Angeles Lakers on Tuesday.
–Field Level Media
