Dallas will wrap up its three-game road trip and try to stay above the .500 mark when it travels to Memphis on Monday night. The Mavericks opened the trip with consecutive wins over the Spurs and Lakers. Memphis has won five of its last six games, including a 133-119 win against Golden State on Saturday.
Kleber's buzzer beater gives Mavs crucial win
Dallas has been a streaky, inconsistent team throughout the season, and that has not changed since it acquired Kyrie Irving from Brooklyn. The Mavericks lost nine out of 12 games from the middle of February to last Monday, with two of those losses coming in back-to-back games against Memphis. They have bounced back with a pair of road wins against the Lakers and Spurs to get back above the .500 mark overall this season, squeaking past Los Angeles in a 111-110 final on Friday. Irving made a crosscourt pass to Maxi Kleber with time winding down, and the unlikely hero drilled a game-winning triple at the buzzer.
“Wooooooo!!”
— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) March 18, 2023
Every angle of Maxi’s game winner 📐 #MFFL pic.twitter.com/JQv9KxAxfO
Kleber scored six of his 10 points in the final eight seconds of the game, while Irving had 13 points in the fourth quarter after returning from a three-game injury absence. Star Luka Doncic was held out for the fourth straight game due to a left thigh bruise, and he is questionable to play on Monday. Doncic leads the Mavericks with 33.0 points, 8.6 rebounds and 8.0 assists per game. Dallas ranks No. 17 in the NBA in scoring, averaging 113.8 points per contest, and it will be facing the sixth-ranked Memphis defense (112.2) on Monday night. The Mavericks are in sixth place in the Western Conference, which is the final spot that avoids the play-in tournament. They are only a half-game ahead of Golden State, though.
Morant to remain out on Monday
Memphis has been a topic of discussion in the NBA due to star guard Ja Morant’s suspension because of some off-court drama, but the Grizzlies have quietly been playing well since losing the first two games after he went out. They have won five of their last six games coming into this matchup, including an overtime win at San Antonio on Friday and a 133-119 win against Golden State on Saturday. Jaren Jackson Jr. has led the team in scoring in three straight games, finishing with 31 points and four blocks against the Warriors. Desmond Bane had 26 points while Dillon Brooks had 18 points on 7 of 10 shooting.
1⃣8⃣ trays tonight in the dub tonight ☔️
— Memphis Grizzlies (@memgrizz) March 19, 2023
5⃣ members made at least 3⃣ from downtown. #BigMemphis pic.twitter.com/Sb2GNL9PNe
The Grizzlies held Golden State to 7 of 21 from the floor in the fourth quarter, including 1 of 8 from 3-point range. Guard Tyus Jones had 13 points and matched his career high with 14 assists, reaching double figures in assists for the fourth time in his last six games since stepping into a starting role. Morant’s suspension is now up, and he is eligible to return on Monday, but he is not going to play until later in the week after spending two weeks away from basketball. He leads the Grizzlies with 27.1 points, 8.2 assists and 6.0 rebounds per game. They rank tenth in the NBA in scoring (116.1) and are facing a Dallas defense that is No. 14 (113.3).
Best Bets for this Game
Full-Game Side Bet
Insiders Status:
It is tough to make an official prediction with Doncic’s status up in the air, but I think signs are pointing to the Mavericks as the play on Monday night. The betting market is going to favor Memphis after it won two meetings between these teams several weeks ago, but Dallas is coming off a pair of wins and is desperately trying to avoid the play-in tournament. Irving had a phenomenal outing on Saturday, and he could get some major help if Doncic returns. Memphis knows that Morant is about to return, and it is coming off a win over the defending champs, so this is a letdown spot for the Grizzlies. Dallas has covered the spread in eight of its last 11 trips to Memphis and five of the last six head-to-head meetings overall.
Full-Game Total Pick
Insiders Status:
Dallas has been playing low-scoring games without Doncic in the lineup, cashing the under in four of its last five games. However, the Grizzlies continue to go over the total, hitting that mark in four of their last six games. They play at the sixth-fastest pace of any team in the NBA. Dallas has controlled the pace when these teams have met in recent years, though, causing the under to hit in six of the last seven head-to-head meetings. There is a chance that both teams could be without their leading scorer on Monday night, so I am happy to take the under in this contest.
