Conley Returns, Memphis Grizzlies Fall to Dallas

Jan 19, 2015; Memphis, TN, USA; Memphis Grizzlies forward Zach Randolph (50) guard Courtney Lee (5) forward Jeff Green (32) and center Marc Gasol (33) after a foul call against the Grizzlies late in the game against the Dallas Mavericks at FedExForum. Dallas defeated Memphis 103-95. Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

While the Memphis Grizzlies hosted an exceptional remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday afternoon, they were unable to cap the night off with a victory against the Dallas Mavericks.

The Grizzlies had a slow start to begin the early afternoon game. The score read 16-25 in favor of the Dallas Mavericks after the first quarter. Unfortunately, that would be a trend for the home team in this matchup.

At halftime, Jeff Green led the Grizz into the locker room with 11 points and three rebounds, yet the team trailed by seven points. Green would later go scoreless in the second half–a poison to Memphis when they have to face a deep, veteran team such as Dallas.

The Grizzlies would make no headway after discussing things during the half. While Zach Randolph carried a big load of the work in this game, the Mavericks had their fair share of equalizers on the court. At the end of three quarters of play, the Mavericks still held a seven-point advantage over Memphis.

The Grizzly deficit would be cut to two points on a dunk by Marc Gasol with over eight minutes remaining. Z-Bo would tie the game at 84 shortly after. The game would continue to be close down the stretch, with Mike Conley giving the Grizzlies a 91-89 advantage, but the Grizzlies could not manage to fully secure the lead.

The Dallas Mavericks edged out Memphis in a close one as they went on to win the contest by a final score of 95-103. The Mavs were able to use their outside game to their advantage and the Grizzlies would fall to 29-13 on the overall season.

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Sir Charles In Charge

Mike Conley returned to the lineup on MLK Day after missing two games with some ailing ankles. Conley hates to miss games, which rarely occurs, and it is good to see that he was able to have a productive performance after being inactive for a few days. Hopefully he will be good to go now so the Grizzlies can earn a revenge victory on Toronto on Wednesday.

The box score, produced by ESPN, can be found here.

Key Game Notes

• Monta Ellis and Dirk Nowitzki led the Mavericks in scoring on Monday–25 points and 21 points, respectively.
• The Grizz bench produced just 17 points compared to Dallas’ 26.
• Memphis’ bench failed to make a three-point shot in the game.
• Memphis shot a poor 13.6% (3-22) from beyond the arc while the Mavs made 40% (10-25) of their three-pointers.
• Mike Conley managed to contain Rajon Rondo (six points, 3-8 shooting, three rebounds, one assist, one steal, two turnovers, overall +/- of -7) despite returning from two sore ankles.
• Memphis and Dallas registered the same totals of rebounds (42), assists (17), and turnovers (13).
• Dallas shot better from the field than the Grizzlies–44.7% compared to 42.4%, respectively.
• The Grizzlies shot 90.9% (20-22) on free-throws.
• 25.2% of the Mavs’ points came from outside the paint, whereas 61% of Memphis’ points came inside the paint.

Fantasy Watch: Grizzlies Edition

• Zach Randolph: 18 points, 15 rebounds, two assists, one steal, four turnovers
• Marc Gasol: 20 points, eight rebounds, four assists, one steal, one block
• Mike Conley: 22 points, four assists
• Jeff Green: 11 points, eight rebounds, three assists, two steals, one block

Next Game

The Memphis Grizzlies will play their second game of a four-game home stand on Wednesday when they take on the Toronto Raptors at the Grindhouse.

Go Grizz!