Mavericks 111 Grizzlies 99: Game 3 Review

Going into the season and through the first two games it was clear was that the Mavs were a team that was capable of putting a lot of points on the board. But the question remained, could they win a game where the offense struggled or when the game got ugly? Although they still managed to score 111 points the Mavs win over Memphis Saturday showed that the game didn't needed to be a beautiful masterpiece for them to come out on top.

The 111-99 victory was important because they went toe-to-toe with a Grizzlies team known for their toughness and didn't back down. After racing out to a 22 point lead in the second quarter the Mavs went ice cold from the field at let Memphis back in the game as they led by only 6 at the half. They fought back however and though they shot just 38% for the game they lived at the free throw line especially in the fourth quarter going 40-46 from the line.
The Mavs got important contributions up and down the lineup, but the strongest work came from Shawn Marion who excelled at both ends putting up 21 points and 14 rebounds while guarding everyone from point guard Mike Conley to power forward Zach Randolph. This versatility has been so vital to the success of the Mavericks since he arrived and often goes unappreciated. It's ridiculous that Marion has never made an all-defensive team in his career.
Dirk led the Mavs in scoring with 24 points and Jose Calderon found his shooting stroke scoring 15 including making 3 from downtown. Monta Ellis' boxscore line might be not look too impressive but those numbers would be deceiving. He scored 18 but passed the ball well despite being credited with only 2 assists. He also had some big steals on defense that led to fast break points. Also playing well was Samuel Dalembert who had 14 points and 9 rebounds while going perfect from the field (4-4) and the line (6-6).
On the defensive end the Mavs were able to hold an opponent under 100 points for the first time this season. They were able to limit Memphis to a field goal percentage of 42.5% as well as allowing the Grizzlies to only shoot 3-16 on threes. The Grizzlies' offensive damage was mostly contained to Memphis' star trio of Conley, Randolph and Marc Gasol who combined for 68 points.
This was definitely a win the Mavericks should feel good about. They beat one of the better teams in the West and showed they didn't always need to be pretty to do it.

Team Leaders
Points: Nowitzki, 24 Rebounds: Marion, 14 Assists: Calderon, 5
Player of the Game: Marion

Quote of Note: “You know, if you think of the history of the modern game, I can think of less than five or maybe six guys that can guard a guy like Conley for big minutes and then turn around and guard Zach Randolph, and then any other kind of guy in between,” [Michael] Jordan could do it. [Scottie] Pippen showed that he could do it. LeBron James does it. And I could probably come up  with other names, but there aren’t many. So we’re talking about a really special player, and he really personalized this game tonight. He felt lousy about last night. He knew we needed a spark, and from start to finish he was on.” Rick Carlisle

Next up: The Mavericks (2-1) return to action Tuesday night at 7:30 when they host the Los Angeles Lakers (1-2) at the AAC.