Dallas Mavericks ended an eight-game losing streak with a 120-112 victory over Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum Thursday. Khris Middleton scored a season-high 35 points, including 22 in the fourth quarter, to secure the win.
Daniel Gafford added a season-best 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Max Christie and Cooper Flagg contributed 13 points apiece. Middleton made 10 of 17 shots overall and 8 of 10 from three-point range, delivering the team’s highest-scoring quarter of the season.
The Mavericks led by 20 in the first half but saw Memphis close to 86-84 entering the fourth quarter. Middleton scored the first 11 points of the final period, pushing the lead back into double digits and preventing a late Grizzlies comeback.
Jaylen Wells led Memphis with 23 points, GG Jackson had 20, and Javon Small added 19 points with nine assists. Taylor Hendricks recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, but the Grizzlies were hampered by injuries, with 11 players unavailable, including key rotation members.
Dallas dominated the boards, finishing with 60 rebounds to Memphis’s 38, including a 64-42 advantage in the paint and 10 offensive rebounds in the first half alone. The team converted 19 of 24 free throws and shot 48 percent from the field, controlling the game inside.
Memphis shot 42 percent overall and 29 percent from three-point range, struggling to compensate for the depleted lineup. The Grizzlies signed Tyler Burton from their G League affiliate, the Memphis Hustle, to a 10-day contract, but depth issues remained a factor throughout the game.
The Mavericks will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday in their only home game of a nine-game stretch, while Memphis travels to Detroit.
